Getting Back to Myself
by DeadGrlSprStr666
Summary: Bella has had it with Edward, she dumps him before the party and starts getting back to who she really is. She's friends with Jake, will meet the Pack and become an Imprint. Story is rated M for mild drug use, graphic language and sexual content!
1. Goodbye Edward

**A/N I know that this story is not going to go along with twilight, I haven't read the books in almost a year and although I like the characters I cannot bring myself to suffer through the swill that is Stephanie Meyers writing to go back and re-read them to get a feel for the timeline. BTW, she owns everything I just play with them.**

**This is NOT a canon story by any stretch of the imagination, don't like it, then don't read! Constructive criticism is welcome flames are not.**

I was tired of Edward, tired of his so-called perfection. Tired of him making decisions for me without even asking my opinion, tired of being treated like an inferior. I was tired of Alice playing dress up with me like I was a freaking My Size Barbie doll! I was tired of Emmett doing everything he could to make me blush, tired of Rosalie and her shitty ass attitude towards me. I was even tired of Carlisle and Esme's loving parent act, I had parents, and their names are Charlie Swan and Renee Dwyer! I know they love me but sometimes I don't want to be coddled and really I'm tired of them taking Edwards side in every disagreement.

So now I'm sitting here on my couch watching "Romeo and Juliet" with Edward and fuming that even though I expressly requested that they not have a party or buy things for me that they all went ahead and did what they wanted to do as usual. I'm debating on whether to end it before or after the party that I know is going to be a disaster.

Before I'm ready the credits are rolling, I sigh and look at Edward taking in his flawless appearance. "Edward I don't want to go to the party."

Edward scowls at me, "You're being selfish, Bella. The family has gone to a lot of trouble to plan it out and they have gotten you very nice gifts."

My eyes narrow and I start to feel angry adrenaline course through my veins, "I'm being selfish? _I'm _being _selfish?_ Edward I didn't want a party in the first place! I didn't want gifts at ALL! Pardon me but I think you and your family are the one's being selfish by not taking MY wishes into account on MY BIRTHDAY!"

Edward starts rubbing his hands down my arms from shoulder to elbow trying to soothe me, "Now Love you are being unreasonable… You know that we don't really get to celebrate real birthdays and I really feel like it wouldn't hurt you to just put on a smile and try to have some fun!"

The minute he calls me 'Love' and tries to make me feel like a child throwing a tantrum is when I know that I can't do this any longer, I hate when he calls me 'Love' it's not endearing because he does not mean it as a term of endearment, it's patronizing in the worst way! He uses it mostly when he feels I'm not towing the line and going along with what he wants.

Well I'm done towing the line! "Edward I'm sorry but I can't do this. I don't think we should see each other anymore. I really do hope that you find a girl that you can mold into exactly who you want but it's really becoming clear to me that I am _**not**_ that girl. I am tired of being treated like a child who cannot make her own decisions, I'm tired of you patronizing me and calling me 'love' when I really don't believe that you love me. I think you love the idea of who you want me to be and I'm sorry to tell you that I am not that girl. Please tell Alice that I will see her at school and talk to her there. Please don't come by here at night anymore, I really want this to be as clean a break as possible, I apologize for the trouble your family went to for a party that won't be happening."

During my speech Edward had just sat there frozen and looking at me as though I had lost my mind, but the entire time the only feelings I had were not of sadness or loss, but of freedom! No more Bella Barbie! No more scathing looks from Rosalie, although I'm sure I would still get plenty of those at school.

Edwards's shocked paralysis finally wore off although he was still looking at me as though I'd grown another head and perhaps sprouted bright pink hair in the process, "Bella you can't be serious! You are really breaking up with me because my family bought you gifts and wanted to throw you a party? How ungrateful can you get? You know what, that's fine! I will make your apologies to the family and perhaps I will see you in school."

He got up off the couch and stormed out of the house slamming the front door so hard that the glass shattered. I was shocked that with the entire speech I just gave the only reasons he heard were the party and the gifts. I knew that underneath the mad he was extremely hurt, I could only hope that he did not do anything crazy. Just to make sure I thought I'd call Alice.

I got up and went over to the phone, dialed and listened to it ring twice until Alice picked up and icily said, "_Bella"_

I knew that she knew what I was going to say; she would have 'seen' it. "Alice, I know you have 'seen' I just need to know that this will not end up tragically. I don't want to cause your family harm I just want to go back to living my own life and making decisions for myself!"

I hear her sigh, "Oh, Bella…Everything will be fine, we are leaving tonight, I actually see Edward finally giving Tanya a shot. We are going to Denali, if you need us for any reason in the future you have my number. Edward would never hurt you Bella. I'm sorry he broke your front window but he is really hurt right now. Tell Charlie that Carlisle will send him a check to cover the replacement. Live your life Bella. I love you, even though I know you felt smothered by it."

And with that, she hung up. I heard the tell tale click and I hung up too. I can't say that I was disappointed or sad though, I just was happy to be me again! I hummed a little to myself as I went into the kitchen to get a broom and a dustpan to clean up the glass from the doorway. Charlie pulled up just as I was dumping the last of it into the kitchen garbage, I heard the cruiser door slam as he ran into the house in a panic calling out for me, "Bells?"

I realized the front door probably looked like a break in to him and quickly called out "in the kitchen Dad! Everything's fine!"

He came in looking disheveled and quite honestly frightened "what happened to the front window Bells? Did someone try to break in?"

I sighed, "No Dad, Edward just closed it a little over-zealously on his way out and the glass shattered, I spoke to Carlisle and he said he would mail you a check to cover the expense of fixing it."

Charlie was silent and I could see the vein throbbing in his forehead "He'll mail me a check? What the hell Bella? Why did Edward break the door? Did he hurt you?"

I was quick to answer, "No Dad! He was just pissed because I broke up with him and you know Edward is quite used to getting his own way Dad. He didn't hurt me, just the door. The Cullen's are moving Dad, they're leaving tonight, that's why Carlisle said they would mail you a check for the damages."

I watched, as Charlie visibly relaxed, "Thank God he didn't hurt you Bells."

He came up and hugged me and for once I let myself sink into and enjoy my father's embrace wrapping my arms around him as he held me tight and said, "That damn kid doesn't look strong enough to do that kind of damage to the front door. They're moving huh? Is that why you dumped him?"

I released the hug as I didn't want to embarrass Charlie by hanging on too long and sat down at the table looking up at him, "I wish I could say it was but no. Dad I'm sure you noticed that Edward was a little bit controlling. I just couldn't take being treated like a child who couldn't make decisions for herself anymore! I wanted to be free! He didn't even tell me they were moving until after I ended it anyway."

Charlie came and sat across from me at the table and I had a feeling he was going to get into something heavy, "Yes Bella, I noticed the way he treated you. I was terrified that your relationship was going to turn abusive. Manipulation and control is usually how those things start. I was keeping an eye out for the other signs and I was just hoping that you would come back to yourself before it was too late. I wish I could tell you that I'm sorry your relationship ended kiddo, but I'm not going to sit here and lie to your face. Edward wasn't good for you, I was afraid that you had lost yourself in finding him. I'm just so happy that you are a strong person honey. I'm proud of you!"

I felt the tears prick my eyes as my dad told me he was proud of me for ending a relationship that I wasn't happy in. I had to agree with him, as a cops daughter I knew that generally abuse doesn't start out as physical, I only wished that I had been able to be myself and be strong from the beginning. I smiled at him, "thanks Dad! That means a lot to me. I'm happy that you aren't sorry because to be honest I'm not sorry either. I'm happy that I can be me, the real me. Now that's enough of this heavy talk, what should I make for supper? I mean it is my birthday dinner."

Charlie laughed and grasped my hand for a moment, "How about I take you out to dinner, you shouldn't cook on your birthday hon, I know how you feel about gifts but your mom, Phil, and I got you some things we thought you could use, nothing too extravagant, just practical stuff"

I stood up and smiled at him, "Sounds good Dad, I can have a piece of birthday cobbler and when we get back you can give me my gifts."

The diner was slightly crowded with the dinner rush crowd and the fact that it was a Friday night but still we got a table quickly and sat down. I was reading my menu when I caught sight of Mike Newton and Jessica Stanley watching me from the other side of the restaurant, I smiled and waved and went back to perusing the menu in front of me. "So Dad what you getting?"

Charlie looked up answering, "probably the steak with fries and the apple cobbler for dessert. What about you Kid?"

I finished looking at the menu; "I think I'm going to have the homemade mac and cheese and also the cobbler, peach though not apple"

I looked up as Jessica approached our table, "hey Bella I just wanted to wish you a Happy Birthday, I didn't get a chance to talk to you in school today."

I smiled at her, even though we'd probably never be best friends it was nice to have someone to talk to at school, "Thanks Jess, I really appreciate that, I'm sure we'll have plenty of time to talk at school from now on though"

She looked pleased but curious at that and asked, "oh?"

I rolled my eyes a little as I told her, "Yeah, I'd rather you hear this from me than the rumor mill. I broke up with Edward tonight for a plethora of reasons that we can talk about some other time, but even if we were still seeing each other his family is moving this weekend. Carlisle got a better job offer in a bigger city so either way we would have much more time to talk!"

I was saved from further questioning by the waitress approaching our table, "looks like our waitress is coming Jess, tell Mike I said hello and I'll see you guys on Monday ok?"

She smiled and said sure and went back to her table. The waitress came and Dad and I placed our orders and had a quiet rest of our meal with little conversation. We were just a father and daughter enjoying the quiet pleasure of each other's company.

**A/N: So I just reformatted this chapter, will be working my way through the first 16 to make them more easily read; updated on 12/26/10**


	2. Hey Jake!

**I just want to point out again that I don't own Twilight or the characters therein I just play with them. Just want to make it clear that this will eventually be a Bella/Sam story but it will take a few chaps for them to even meet because Sam will obviously not be finding Bella in the woods, also it will be told mostly from Bella's POV. This is my first story also so please be a bit kind in the reviews, but please do review! Constructive criticism is always welcome, needless flames about the content are not. Story is rated M because I have a potty mouth and of course there will be lemons later on as well as underage drinking and marijuana use, if you are under 18 or are easily offended by such things please stop reading now! **

The drive back to the house was enjoyable and quiet even if it was in the cruiser. I walked into the house and shook my head at the plastic sheeting that Charlie had affixed over the broken window before we left. Charlie put his keys on the hook by the door and turned to me, "Okay Bells why don't you go sit on the couch and I'll get your gifts for you."

I smiled at him replying, "sure Dad" and went into the living room turning on the light and making myself comfortable on the couch.

Charlie returned with 2 small boxes and an envelope, which he set on the couch next to me before sitting in his recliner and turning the television on to ESPN in the background as I picked up the smaller of the two boxes. I opened the card to see that it was from Charlie and then opened the box to find a digital camera, "Oh my God! Dad! Thank you so much!"

He smiled at me replying "You're welcome Kid, make sure you take lots of pictures, Renee wants to feel like she's experiencing this year right along with you!"

I put the camera to the side and picked up the slightly larger box opening the card and seeing it was from my mom, inside was a beautiful scrapbook photo album set, "this is awesome Dad I can see you and mom coordinated on these gifts! I can't wait to start filling these!"

I set the album aside and picked up the envelope, as I slid my finger in to open it I felt a slicing pain and pulled it out wincing at the drop of blood "ouch! Damn paper cut!"

I sucked on it until it stopped stinging all the while thanking God that I was in my own home; I could only imagine the scene this kind of injury would have caused at the Cullen's. I got the rest of the envelope open and pulled out a thick card, opening it a visa gift card fell out and I read the card it said '_Dear Bella, I know that you do not like us to spend a lot of money on you but this gift card is for you to go out and buy whatever you want although I'd prefer you to spend it on clothing and things of that nature. I know you didn't take much with you and although I know that your friend Alice has bought you a lot of things sometimes I get the feeling that you don't pick out any of it. We want you to have things that reflect who you are, and what your style is. Have fun Baby Girl, there's 1000 dollars on this card. Please spend it on things that will show your true style. Happy Birthday! Love, Mom and Phil.' _

I gasped before asking, "Oh my God. Dad! Did you know?"

Charlie came over and hugged me briefly, "of course I knew Kiddo, who do you think told your mom that you could use some things that showed your own style? I know you have a lot of clothes and things that Alice picked out for you but none of it is anything that I think you would choose for yourself, maybe with the Cullen's moving you can donate those things to goodwill after you buy some stuff you really like. I also have 500 dollars in cash to contribute to that, please don't give me a hard time over it Bell's I want to give it to you."

I looked at my dad completely stunned with tears pricking my eyes I couldn't even find it in me to object to the obscene amount of money I just jumped into his lap hugging him as hard as I could, "thank you so much Daddy. It's way too much money but I appreciate it so much, I will definitely be donating the things that Alice bought me to goodwill!"

Charlie hugged me tight and then let me scramble off of his lap looking slightly uncomfortable, "I know you and I aren't big on emotion Bells but I'd like it if we could try to be more open with each other, I know it will be hard but I want to try. It's getting late though Kid why don't you go up stairs and start getting ready for bed. I'm going fishing tomorrow morning with Billy but we should be back by noon, why don't you come down to La Push around 1 and we'll have a barbecue with him and Jake, I know he would love to see you again. Then on Sunday maybe you could take him shopping with you unless you'd rather bring your girlfriends from school."

I reply, "That sounds great Dad, and I really would like to try to be more open with you too. I'll finish up my homework and chores in the morning and be down to Billy's at 1. I think Jake would be a great shopping buddy if I can talk him into it, I would like to spend time with the girls from school but I don't think my style is really the same as theirs."

I kissed him on the cheek on my way out of the room "I love you Dad, goodnight"

He smiled and blushed a little as he replied "Love you too Kid, see you tomorrow afternoon"

I went upstairs and went through my nighttime ritual and pausing to shut and lock my bedroom window I changed into a pair of loose sweats and a tank top and snuggled into my bed. I couldn't believe how awesome the day had been, I felt a slight pang that Edward was hurting but really I was so thankful that I could be myself and make choices for myself again that I'd be lying if I said it kept me up for more than 5 minutes.

The next morning I woke up around 8:30 to a grey but dry sky. I went down and poured myself a bowl of cereal and ate it at a leisurely pace thinking about what I had to do with my day. I was really glad to be going down to La Push I knew that the news of mine and Edward's break up was going to make Billy happy, but I also knew that it was going to put ideas into Jake's head.

As much as I liked Jake I didn't think of him in a romantic sense, he was like a younger brother, we were really good friends when we were young and I hoped that we could recapture that without his crush on me making things awkward. I crunched my cereal and decided that full disclosure was definitely the way to go with Jake, make it clear that I only wanted friendship with him and put the ball in his court, he could take it or leave it.

I washed up my cereal bowl and started on my chores for the day. By 10:30 I had cleaned the kitchen and living room and started a couple of loads of laundry. I switched the last load into the dryer and went up to take my shower. Wrapping myself in my bathrobe I went to my closet and started pulling out all the clothes that Alice had insisted on buying me, when they were all in a huge pile on the floor I scanned what was left, it was depressingly little.

I wandered over to my dresser and pulled out a bra and panty set, one of the few I had brought from Phoenix, I was grateful that Alice had never insisted on buying me scads of lingerie, I guess she felt she had a lot of time before anyone would be seeing any of my unmentionables and she had only bothered to buy me a strapless bra to wear under my prom dress last year. As I pulled on my panties and put my bra on I thought about just how lucky I was to be alive at all, with everything that had happened at the end of junior year I could be dead, or worse, a vampire.

The more I thought of it the angrier I got, I was mad at Edward but mostly I was mad at myself. I was mad at Edward because he knowingly put me in danger, he could have and should have just let me go and stayed in Denali after the first day we met. I was mad at myself because I should have never gotten involved with him, at first it was the maddening back and forth that drew me in, then the mystery that surrounded him, and finally the control that he had on my life.

Could I honestly say I had truly loved him? Thinking on it I didn't think I could, I had been infatuated, curious as all hell, and then, ultimately I had been controlled. I shook my head as if to clear the troublesome thoughts and I muttered to myself "stop dwelling on it Bella, you're out of it, take it as a learning experience."

I went back to staring at my sparse closet finally pulling out a fitted Rob Zombie T-Shirt that I got from a concert I went to in Phoenix before moving, and an old pair of loose fit faded jeans that had holes in both knees. I had only worn these once when I was with Edward, he had taken one look at the t-shirt and pronounced my love of heavy metal disturbing and Alice of course had deemed the jeans 'inappropriate' I had only just been able to save them from the rag pile.

Dressed and ready for the day I took the opportunity to call Renee and thank her for my birthday gifts, I dialed the number and she answered on the third ring, "_Hey baby girl!" _

I smiled at the thought of how close we had become since I moved away from her "Hey mom! Thank you so much for my birthday gifts! I can't wait to start filling the scrapbook! The gift card was so great of you and Phil mom if he's there I'd like to say thanks to him too before we get off the phone, I can't wait to go shopping with it!"

Renee replied, "_Oh, Honey you're so welcome get stuff you love ok? Phil's not here but I'll pass the message along. So how are things going with you and Edward? Did he get you something nice for your birthday?"_

I paused for a second before answering, "Actually mom, Edward and I broke up. Things were just not working, I'm sure dad told you how controlling he could be. I just could not take being treated like a child who was incapable of making her own life choices anymore. It actually really worked out for the best, Carlisle got a new job in a bigger city and they are actually moving this weekend"

"_Oh Bella I'm so glad that you finally decided to be yourself again! I was so worried when you were in the hospital, the way he never left your side was frankly a little creepy, I mean it was like he didn't trust you to be by yourself at all. So what are you going to do with your new found freedom hon?_"

I laughed a little, "I'm actually going to go down to La Push to spend some time with Dad, Billy, and Jake today, and then tomorrow I'm going to hit the mall! Hopefully I can convince Jake to come with, I'd like for us to be able to re-capture the friendship we once had. I have to get some homework done though mom, I'll talk to you soon ok? Love you!"

Renee chuckled as she said, "_ok Baby, I love you too! Talk to you soon, Bye_"

We hung up and I spent the next couple of hours doing my homework for the weekend, before leaving for La Push. I pulled up in front of Billy's just before 1, parking my truck and seeing the door being pulled open before I could even get out, I smiled as Jake came out onto the porch. He had definitely grown since I had last seen him, he looked to be about 6'2 and looked like he'd definitely been hitting the gym.

I got out of the truck slamming the door, and then turned to wave while shouting "Hey Jake!"

Jake laughed and yelled back "Bells!"

I met him on the porch and we walked inside as I asked, "So are the dads back?"

He smiled at me and replied, "yeah they're in the yard setting everything up to barbecue."

We walked through the house to the yard where Charlie was setting up the grill and Billy was giving direction, as soon as we walked through the door Billy looked up at me with a huge grin on his face, "So Bella I hear congratulations are in order!"

Jake looked confused and for a second I thought I saw his eyes glance at my hand and I couldn't help the snort of laughter that escaped me, "Yeah Billy, I finally came to my senses and broke up with Edward! I knew you would be pleased to hear it!"

My dad, Billy, and I all broke up with laughter and mine only intensified when I saw the stunned look on Jake's face. "Jake you okay? You look like someone hit you with a 2 x 4."

The sunny smile lit Jakes face and he looked like a kid who was told that Christmas was going to be an every month occurrence, "Yeah Bells, I'm great! I just can't believe these two old gossips have been here for almost an hour and didn't tell me that you finally dumped Cullen! Hey why don't you come to the garage and check out the car I'm rebuilding while they get the food set up."

I nodded and let Jake pull me toward the garage at the far end of the yard. He opened up the door and ushered me inside. I let go of his hand and took a seat on the tool bench while he explained a little about the car, "it's a Volkswagen Rabbit, I should have it up and running sometime around New Years I hope. I've been working on it every chance I get"

I nodded approval, "that's awesome Jake, hopefully you get it working the way you want it, you obviously know what you're doing, my truck runs great!"

I saw the look in Jakes eye and he started coming closer to me, "I'm really hoping you'll come on the maiden voyage of it with me Bells."

I chuckled a little, hoping not to hurt his feelings and replied, "Aww, Jake, as your best friend I'd be honored. Look I think we need to talk ok? I want to be totally honest with you and I hope you don't get offended. I know you like me Jake. I like you too, a lot, but not in the same way. I think of you as a younger brother, we were best friends when we were young and I hope that we can have that again. I don't want you to think I'm saying this to make things awkward but I need you to know up front that our relationship is not going to be progressing to anything romantic. I don't want to lose you as a friend but I don't want you to get the wrong idea or to ever feel led on by me so I decided that total disclosure was the best way to go."

Jake looked like he was choking but he coughed hard and shook his head a little before answering, "You're right Bells, I do like you, and I do have feelings for you that go beyond friendship but I'm thankful that you are being so up front in the fact that you don't return those feelings. I don't want to lose our friendship and don't worry I will respect your boundaries and your feelings. It might take a little time but I'm sure that eventually we will have the close friendship we used to have and now that I know how you feel I promise to start looking around at the other girls around me for a girl to be interested in."

I smiled and clapped him on the shoulder, "cool, as long as we'll always be friends than that makes me happy."

"Bells, Jake, Foods up!" I heard Charlie call from the yard. I hopped off the bench and we headed back out to the yard. I made up two plates and set one next to Billy as I sat down beside him, we ate and made small talk till all the food was gone.

I couldn't help but comment, "Damn Jake, you ate enough for a small little league team!"

He laughed and replied, "Well I am a growing boy Bells!"

That cracked us all up. I got up to start clearing but Dad waved me back into my seat, "don't worry about it Bells, Jake and I will clear up"

I noticed Jake didn't look too happy about that but he got up immediately and grabbed up most of the plates carrying them in behind Charlie. I looked at Billy who smiled and said "Bella I'm so happy that you came to your senses."

I smiled back replying, "I know Billy, me too. I really wish I had listened to you in the first place, as much as I cared for them I see now how really wrong it all was. Did Dad tell you that they've left Forks?"

Billy looked surprised, as he answered, "No, he didn't. I can't say I'm surprised though that he forgot to mention it. It always upset him how much we disliked the Cullen's. You should come back down tomorrow night Bells, we'll be having a bonfire to celebrate the news."

I nodded and told Billy "I wouldn't miss it for the world!"

Jake came back out announcing that everything was cleaned up and put away so I decided it was now or never, "hey Jake, would you mind coming to the mall with me tomorrow? The rents and Phil gave me quite a bit of birthday money to get some new clothes and stuff that's more my own style and as most of my girl friends don't like the same look as me I don't want to drag them all over the mall to stores that they'll bitch about going in. And Billy tells me there's going to be a bonfire tomorrow so if you come with me to the mall we can go to that together. If you want to bring another friend so that you have someone to chill with if you get bored of looking at clothes with me that's cool too"

Jake grinned and said "sure Bells I'd love to go to the mall with you, I think I'll ask Embry to come along I know you can only fit 3 in the truck I'll bring the tarp so that you can put the bags in the back and we can tie it down so we make sure we don't lose anything on the way back and nothing gets wet in the event of rain"

I smiled and replied "Cool Jake, Can't wait. See you tomorrow!"

Dad and I headed home and I was pretty excited about my day tomorrow, I had never been one for shopping but going with Jake and his friend would probably be a lot more fun than going with Alice or even with Jess and Lauren.

**A/N I'm going to add another one here, though I'll try not to have more than one per chapter in the future. I know this chapter is kind of filler but I needed to set things more in motion. Sam will be making his first appearance in the next chapter at the bonfire. I don't like to put too much info in the AN because I feel like it takes away from the actual story but I'll cave on this one. Leah is not going to be a wolf in this story but she will know about the wolves I'll try to work that into the next chapter. As this is a Bella/Sam imprint story, Emily is not going to feature in this story. I know some authors switch her to another wolf but I don't really feel like that would work without completely changing her character and I'm trying to keep almost everyone other than Bella in character. Also with the departure of the Cullen's and I can tell you right now there will be no newborn army in this story, the younger wolves (Seth, Collin, and Brady) will not phase. I'm going with a more streamlined wolf pack of just Sam, Jared, Paul, Jake, Embry, and Quil. As of now though only the older guys have phased, the rest will be joining them in the next couple of chapters though. Chapter updated 12/26/10 **


	3. I'm Sam

**A/N: First off: I want to thank everyone who has added this story to their fav story list, story updates, etc. And also everyone who has left a review, you guys have been so kind and I'm so glad that so far all the feedback I've gotten has been positive! OK, I know that I said that Sam was going to make his first appearance at the bonfire but I feel like we need his back-story in order to move forward so that's what I'm doing this chapter, it's going to be basically a flashback in his point of view so that we're not really skipping merrily back and forth through time, just visiting an important memory for him. Flashback Sam is a pretty different Sam though, by the bonfire he will pretty much be back to his actual character self but a little more vulgar and a little less serious, he's still alpha and he's still the responsible guy for the pack but he's 21, single, and a wolf and he hasn't had Emily's calming/sobering influence so give him a break. **warning** there will be drinking and drug use in this story, nothing heavy, just weed and alcohol but you have been warned! Oh, and hit the button at the bottom of the page and leave me some love/constructive criticism!**

_**Flashback 2 years prior, Sam POV**_

_I had been wandering through this forest for 2 months now. I honestly still think that I've either gone crazy or maybe I ate something that was laced with acid or peyote. Two months! It's insane but I have no idea what else to do so I run around, I drink from the stream and I eat whatever animals I can catch and kill. _

_I'm closer to the res than I have been in weeks, some hunters had seen me and tried to shoot me so I'd been hiding out deeper in the forest. I hear a man calling me from the edge of the forest, as I get closer I recognize the voice as Billy Black. I poke my head out and he smiles at me as if my being a gigantic black wolf is the most normal thing he's ever seen. Standing behind his wheelchair is one of the other elders, I do a double take as I recognize my girlfriend Leah's father Harry Clearwater and he's beaming at me like I have done something to be proud of. _

_They gesture at me to come closer and when I get about 5 feet in front of them they motion me to stop so I do and sit, just watching them and wondering just what the fuck is going on here. Billy breaks the silence, "Samuel, as I'm sure you have figured out, you are a wolf. Not just a wolf though, I promise you that you are still quite human as well. Do you remember the stories that we tell at the bonfires about Taha Aki and how our ancestors descended from wolves?" _

_He looks at me expectantly so I nod and yip a little so that he gets the affirmative, he continues, "Well Samuel as you probably can tell the stories are true. When a threat is sensed the gene becomes activated, you remember the Cold One's that the stories speak of? Dr Carlisle Cullen and his family are indeed those Cold One's, they are vampires, though they do not feed off of human blood they are never to be underestimated! We keep the treaty with them and as long as they stay off our land we do not reveal their secret. Samuel you are a werewolf, a shape shifter, and what is more you will be the Alpha of the new pack. I know you must be hungry and exhausted from the ordeal you have faced, from the readings we have learned that to phase back you must envision yourself as human, and above all else you must keep calm or you will not be able to phase back until you are able to keep your cool. I'm going to put a pair of shorts on the stump over there, when you have put them on please come to the meeting hall and we will try to explain the other important aspects as quickly as we can to allow you to get some rest." _

_And with that they all turned and headed toward the meeting hall. So I'm sitting here and I'm thinking 'this is fucking insane, all of those guys must be fucking high! How am I supposed to __**think human**__ when I've been a stinking wolf for the last 2 fucking months?' _

_I start out just trying to think smaller, then I try to picture my human face and human body as I would look at them in a mirror…It takes about 20 minutes to get the right amount of visualization and deep calming breaths and all of a sudden I feel my bones breaking and re-arranging and then all of a sudden I'm human, I'm laying on my stomach on the forest floor, I'm filthy, and to make matters just fucking perfect…I'm buck ass naked. Fabulous. _

_I run over to the stump where Harry had put my shorts and I pull them up, what the hell? They're at least 2 sizes too small and they only come down to my upper thigh, I pull them down and check the size thinking maybe Billy had brought a pair of Jake's shorts by mistake but I see that no, they're my fucking shorts that fit me two fucking months ago and now look like daisy fucking dukes, I'm going to have to buy a whole new freaking wardrobe. I pull them on again and run as fast as I can through the forest and people's backyards praying that no one I know see's me._

_I enter the meeting hall and see Harry, Billy, and Old Quil, seated at the long meeting table. Harry stands and gestures to a chair "have a seat, Son." _

_I sit and they go into a lecture about how it is my job to protect the tribe from danger that I will have to forego my scholarship to the University of Washington, and that I cannot leave La Push for an extended period of time __**ever**__ and on top of everything else, that I am responsible for the other boys who will soon be joining me in this life, as Alpha of the new Pack. _

_I sit there taking all of it in, unable to grasp what I am hearing. No college, no leaving the res, constant patrols and responsibility for a whole pack of teenage fucking werewolves, fan fucking tastic. _

_I look at Harry and ask the question that is now foremost on my mind, "What about me and Leah, Harry? Can I still see her?" _

_He looks at me gravely and I can feel my hopes starting to flush down the toilet that is now my fucking life as he answers, "There's another legend I have to tell you about Sam. It's called Imprinting. Imprinting is what happens when a wolf meets his soul mate. It is thought to be rare but I'm not so sure, the last Pack was older when they phased for the first time, maybe those who did not imprint had just already found the one's who would be their imprints and thus didn't need it as they were already married and had children with those women. _

_Unfortunately for the ones who chose wrong or hadn't chosen at all, the imprint chose for them. When you meet your Imprint for the first time post phase and look them in the eye it will feel as if every connection that holds you to this earth has been severed and instead all the strings connected to those you have loved and everything that has been important to you will be attached to her, she will be what ties you to this earth. She will be the most important thing in the world to you._

_I know that as I've explained it to you that it sounds like a curse, but for the ones who imprint without harm to another it is truly a beautiful thing. It is like love at first sight times a million. You will be whatever your imprint needs, and she likewise is the most perfect companion, friend, and lover, that you could ever find." _

_I can't take it anymore; I have to interrupt, "Harry get to the point of it! Can I see Leah or not?" _

_He smiles thinly at me and tells me, "Yes Sam, you may see her, look her in the eye and if you imprint you can tell her everything. However if you don't imprint, you will need to do what is right by her and end things with her. I will not take the chance of you continuing on with my daughter only to have you one day look upon your true soul mate and destroy her heart completely." _

_I just gawp at him until finally I shake the cobwebs out of my head and find my voice, "Harry how could Leah not be my soul mate? I've loved her for the last 3 and a half years of my life! I __know__ that I will imprint on her! I want to go to your house before I go home, I need to have this settled NOW!" _

_As the last word rang out I noticed an odd tone to my voice, it dripped with authority. The Elders were looking at me again with that weird look of pride; Billy broke the silence, "His first Alpha command!" _

_Old Quil and Harry just busted out laughing, I looked at them confused and Billy explained, "Sam as the Alpha you have the power to command the other wolves, it comes with great responsibility and you must never abuse it." _

_I just nodded, looked at Harry and said again but without all the weird wolf authority, "Harry I need to have this done tonight. Please, will you come to your house with me?" _

_Harry just nodded but first he went to a cabinet in the office and pulled out what looked to be an old pair of sweat pants, "change first and use the shower in the washroom because frankly son, you look like hell" _

_I looked at him gratefully and took the pants and went into the bathroom to wash up and change. I met him at his car and we took the 5-minute drive to his house in silence._

_We pulled up in front of Harry's house and as we exited the vehicle I saw Leah's face in the window, she looked furious as she looked at me and as I stared at her looking as deep into her eyes as I could through the window I felt like I had been punched in the gut by a prize fighter. _

_Nothing had happened. I tried to rationalize, I was looking at her through the window, the glass reflected and we couldn't imprint on a reflection. That was when the door flew open and Leah, my beautiful Leah, stalked through it. She literally was stalking me like I was fucking prey. _

_She locked her eyes to me and I honestly thought I would drop dead on the spot. NOTHING HAPPENED! I mean sure I was scared shitless and frankly a little turned on, but aside from that, nothing. What the fuck! Did the spirits really fucking hate me that much? First this wolf bullshit, then finding out I was never going to leave the res, and on top of all of that I was going to lose the only fucking girl I had ever wanted? _

_As I was lost in my hateful introspection I never even realized that Leah had gotten right up in my face until I saw her hand swinging toward my face. I grabbed her arm lightly so as not to hurt her but I didn't want her to hurt herself either so I just held it as she screamed in my face, "WHAT THE FUCK SAM? WHERE IN GOD'S NAME HAVE YOU BEEN? TWO FUCKING MONTHS WITH NOT A FUCKING WORD, A CALL, A FUCKING E-MAIL? YOU BETTER HAVE A DAMN GOOD EXPLANATION FOR THIS OR WE ARE FUCKING OVER!" _

_I stared at her watching as she all of a sudden burst into tears and buried her face in my chest, I held her as I stroked her hair and apologized for making her worry. I reveled in the feel of her against me, as I knew that this would be the last time I ever held her. _

_I tilted her face up and looked into her eyes and began doing the hardest thing I've ever done in my life so far, breaking up with Leah Clearwater, "I'm sorry Leah, I'm so fucking sorry. I can't tell you where I've been, I wish that I could but I can't. I'm so sorry that I worried you but look I've been thinking about this really hard while I was gone and I hate that I have to do this like this but I just don't think that we should see each other romantically anymore Leah. I will always love you but I have to accept that we are not right for each other anymore. I'm sorry." _

_I stepped back from her and watched as her face turned from tears of sadness to tears of heartbreak and then to tears of rage in the space of 20 seconds and before I could react she was punching and kicking every inch of me she could reach. It didn't hurt but I started to get mad, I kept stepping back knowing that I deserved her hate and her anger and I deserved for her to take her pain out on me._

_I had heard Harry calling for Sue, telling her to grab Leah and take her back inside, I watched as Sue grabbed her from behind and started doing her best to drag her back from me she went from kicking and hitting to screaming, "GOD DAMN YOU SAM ULEY! I HATE YOU! I HOPE YOU FUCKING DIE! YOU PROMISED ME EVERYTHING AND NOW YOU'RE JUST GONNA WALK AWAY LIKE I'M FUCKING NOTHING? FUCK YOU! HOW MANY WHORES HAVE YOU BEEN FUCKING THESE PAST TWO MONTHS? HOW MANY TIMES HAVE YOU CHEATED ON ME? YOU'RE JUST LIKE YOUR FATHER!"_

_I had been barely keeping my cool as she told me she hated me and hoped I died. I could feel myself shaking harder as she accused me of touching anyone who wasn't her but when she told me I was just like my deadbeat cheating father I couldn't keep control anymore and I exploded into the giant black wolf. I could see Leah collapse onto the floor, Sue screamed and bodily dragged Leah back into the house and slammed the door, and I just ran into the woods. _

_It took me about an hour to calm down enough to phase back, and that was with me ripping trees apart getting my anger out. I walked through the forest feeling like my life was over; I blamed the Cullen's for the way my life fell apart. They knew coming here would take our lives out of our hands but the selfish leeches didn't even care, they got to live like normal people though so why should they. _

_I emerged from the forest into my own backyard and phased back, I noticed that it was a lot easier then it had been the first time. I ran into the house and found the largest pair of sweats that I owned, and in the way back of my moms closet I found a shirt that my father left when he took off that just fit me._

_Thanking God that my mom was away taking care of a sick friend I came into the living room to Harry was knocking on my door when I came out into the living room. I opened the door and let him in, we were standing in my living room, he broke the silence, "For what it's worth Son, I'm sorry that you didn't imprint on her. I know you loved her very much. I explained about imprinting to her, she knows you didn't cheat on her. She said to tell you that she's sorry for what she said, and she thanks you for doing what's best for both of you. She wanted me to let you know that maybe in the future you could be friends again but that it will take her some time to get over the loss and finding out about everything she found out about…" _

_I nodded at him, "I'm sorry she had to find out about this Harry, I didn't mean to phase in front of her. I'm just glad she didn't get hurt. At least she knows that I loved her and didn't cheat on her though." _

_He clapped a hand onto my shoulder, "it'll be ok, Son. I gotta be getting home though. If you need anything, Sam, give us a call. Oh, we forgot to tell you before, as Alpha of the pack you are also now an Elder of the tribe. We'll see you at the meeting this week. Goodnight." _

_I watched him leave shaking my head in shock at all that had happened. _

**Present Day Sam POV**

Thinking back on the day I had first been human again after my first phase was hard for me, I still felt the loss of Leah although we were friends now it still hurt to know she would never be mine again, my mother had died in a car accident about a month after my phase and now I lived alone.

I sighed, it had been a long morning, Embry had phased after an argument with his mother about going to the mall with Jacob Black and some girl. Thank God she hadn't seen him though, he had ran outside after their fight and just gone off. Jared was watching him and when he phased he called me. So I spent the rest of my morning explaining the whole wolf thing to Embry while Jared patrolled, I'd gotten a call from Billy Black last night telling me to call Carlisle Cullen to verify the claim that they had left Forks.

The story had proven true, Carlisle Cullen told me that Charlie Swan's daughter had broken up with his son and that they felt it better for the family to leave the area. So I called Billy back to let him know and he told me there would be a bonfire tonight at 7.

I knew that it was too late for Embry, Jacob, and their friend Quil, they had all already began the change, but I hoped that with the Cullen's leaving no other boys would have to have their lives taken from them. I told Embry that he would patrol during the bonfire tonight with Paul and that I would take over for them around midnight then sent him home to get some rest.

I decided I would do the same and went back to my house to catch a buzz and take a weed nap. Being Alpha was stressful and I used pot to calm my nerves and help me sleep when I had downtime. I had time for a 2-hour nap and then I'd have to help Sue carry the food and stuff down to the beach.

**A/N chapter updated 12/26/10**


	4. Hey Sam, I'm Bella

**A/N: I forgot this in the last chapter; Stephanie Meyers owns Twilight and all the characters therein, I do not own anything I just play with it.**

****Bella POV****

I had had so much fun at the Blacks yesterday afternoon! My whole day had pretty much been awesome except for when I got home and had to clean up all the clothes on my floor. I really had never taken in just how much Alice had bought for me. As I packed the clothes into garbage bags the sheer volume of it astounded me.

It took me about 2 hours to get everything bagged up and ready to go to the goodwill. That was when I got the real blow to my good day; I came in from loading the bags into the truck to the phone ringing. I went over and picked it up, "Hello?"

The voice on the other end was high and screechy as it screamed, "WHY ARE YOU THROWING OUT ALL OF THOSE BEAUTIFUL CLOTHES BELLA!"

I rolled my eyes, "Hello to you too, Alice…I'm not throwing them away, I'm donating them, but to answer your question I am living my life and making my own choices! So if you have nothing else to say or even if you do, Good-bye" and I firmly set the phone back in the cradle.

As I thought about it I laughed, it felt good to laugh out loud and not feel like I was breaking a noise ordinance or something. I had fallen asleep late and woken up around 10:30, which was pretty late for me. I ate breakfast and got ready in a hurry so that I'd be ready to go by noon.

I was finishing up the dishes that Charlie and I had used this morning when the doorbell rang, I called out, "come on in Jake!"

I put the last dish on the sideboard to dry and then headed towards the door. I smiled at Jake asking, "Hey where's your friend?"

He replied, "Hey Bells, I called Embry a few hours ago and he's grounded. Apparently his mom caught him with a beer and he's grounded for the next two weeks, they got into a pretty nasty argument about it while I was still on the phone."

I nodded "that sucks, what about your other friend Quil?"

He smirked and said, "I called him too, but he has to help his grandfather set up for that bonfire tonight."

I smiled at him a little evilly, "oh well I guess you're stuck coming with me while I try clothes on then"

We headed out to the truck, Jake pulled the tarp for the back out of Billy's truck. He helped me load up the bags for goodwill, we would stop there on the way to drop the bags off, and we went on our way.

****Time skip Three Hours Later Still BPOV****

I looked at Jake he was laden down with bags, I had tried to take as many as I could carry but he just kept insisting that he was fine and they weren't even heavy. I had gotten a lot of stuff and I knew they must weigh a ton so really on the inside I was relieved that he wanted to be a pack mule but I still felt bad. I had gotten a lot of new clothes, I preferred the slightly darker style, I didn't like goth but more hard rock style.

While I was with Edward he had made it clear that he found that style both of clothing and music inappropriate so I had gotten rid of whatever he hadn't liked in my spineless attempt to be the girl he wanted. I had gotten a few new pairs of Doc Marten boots a 8, 14, and 20 eye, and a couple pairs of sneakers. I had also updated all my makeup and gotten refills on my shampoo and body wash. I kept telling Jake that I was sorry that he had to come to girlie stores like Sephora, and Bath and Body Work's but he just shrugged it off and said he was used to it having grown up with 2 older sisters.

We got back to the truck and Jake helped me load everything into the back of the truck and we got the tarp tied down over the bags. We had really lucked out and it hadn't rained for the last couple of days so the bed of the truck was dry so my new stuff wouldn't get wet.

I treated Jake to a late lunch as a thank you and we sat in the booth at the diner looking at the menus and he said, "we should probably just get something small, there's always a ton of food at the bonfires, I can't believe they're having a freaking bonfire to celebrate the Cullen's leaving…I mean what the hell, I know they were weird and the tribe has all these stories about them but come on! They were just people."

I laughed, "yeah I know it's weird but hey any excuse for a bonfire right?"

I figured making a joke about it was less awkward but I couldn't help but think what Jake's response would be if he knew the truth. We ordered and ate our food in companionable silence and when we were done I paid the tab and we left. We drove back to my house and Jake brought the bags up to my room for me, I took out a pie that I had made last night after Alice's screeching phone call had put me into a fit of angry baking, I didn't appreciate her 'seeing' me.

She does it deliberately I know she does, she wouldn't just randomly get a vision of me changing my wardrobe. She had to be deliberately looking for me at the time and I really didn't appreciate it. I wasn't with Edward anymore, Alice wasn't my best and only friend, and I wasn't her business anymore. I set Jake up on the living room sofa with ESPN and a slice of the apple pie and then went upstairs to sort my new wardrobe out.

It took me about 2 hours to get the tags off and get everything hung up or folded and put away. Then I had to pick out an outfit to wear to the bonfire. I decided on a pair of black cargo style pants with a fitted black t-shirt. I straightened my hair putting it up in a high ponytail and did my make up a dark eye-shadow with heavy liner and mascara I didn't bother with lipstick just used a light lip gloss to add a little shine to my lips. I put on the 8 eye black docs I had bought and set about breaking them in. It was getting late I went downstairs to find my dad and Jake watching a baseball game.

I went over and gave my dad a hug "Hey dad, how was your day? You catch a lot of fish?"

He gave me a squeeze and let me go, "Yeah Kid I put them in freezer for you. What about you? Jake tells me you got a ton of stuff, I like your outfit, I forgot you used to wear those boots"

I laughed that he remembered and said "Yeah I felt bad dragging Jake all over the mall, he was a real trooper. Are you coming down to the bonfire dad?"

He nodded but sighed saying; "yeah I told Billy I'd be down about 8:30 or so, after they've gotten the stories out of the way. I hate that they're having a bonfire to celebrate the Cullen's leaving. I wasn't a fan of Edward's but I always liked Carlisle, he was a good man and a great doctor and I just don't understand what Billy and the other Elders problem with him was or why they passed that prejudice on to their whole tribe"

I nodded at him "I understand dad but I mean Billy and the others must have a good reason to dislike them, maybe it's just not something we can understand but I'm sure they have their reasons, maybe it's unfair but you don't have to share their beliefs Dad, I was telling Jake earlier just look at it as just any excuse to have a party"

I decided to ride down to the Res with Jake and catch a ride back with Charlie when he was ready to go home. We got down to Jake's house at around 7:00 he parked in the drive and we walked over to the beach where everyone was setting up. Billy was already settled in a place by the fire with the other Elders and I went over and gave him a hug and waved at Harry, "Hey Bella, Charlie's coming down later right?"

I answered him, "Yeah Billy he said he'd be down after the stories."

I went over and sat next to Jake as a younger guy arrived and sat down with the Elders. He was older than me, I guessed he was probably like 23 or 24 but that was way too young to be an Elder so why was he sitting with them? I realized I was staring and looked away but he was really good looking.

I had noticed when he walked up that he was like past tall, maybe 6'6 or something like that. He was also really really built. '_That guy must live in the gym'_ I thought to myself his face was classically handsome with a rugged look to it, he had a 5'oclock shadow and his hair was on the longer side of short, it looked like it had originally been cut in a crew cut and then had grown out and gotten a little wild. He must have felt my eyes on him and as he started to look up I hurriedly looked away.

Busying myself and not daring to look at the gorgeous guy sitting with the Elders again lest he catch me staring and think I'm weird or something I elbowed Jake, "Hey Jake, who's that guy sitting with the Elders? Isn't he like way too young to be an Elder?"

Jake looked while I looked pointedly in the other direction. "Oh, that's Sam. Samuel Uley. I hate that guy; he's always walking around like he owns the place and staring at me like he knows something I don't. Like 2 years ago he disappeared for 2 months, without a word to anyone, he had been dating Leah Clearwater for like almost 4 years or something and she had been going nuts during the time he was gone. Then all of a sudden he shows back up one day like nothing ever happened dumped Leah on the spot and just went back to living his life. But all of a sudden he was on the council. I tried to talk to my dad about it but he just said that 'Sam does great things for the community Jake, one day you'll understand' whatever the fuck that means"

I looked at Jake with surprise, "wow Jake I've never known you to dislike anyone so much. I dunno though, I have to say he's really good looking, maybe he is just a really good guy Jake and that's why he's an elder. As for him dumping his ex, you can't judge him for that Jacob. Sometimes relationships just don't work out no matter how they look from the outside"

Jake just nodded and sighed, "I know Bells I just don't like the way he looks at me, it's creepy, him and his followers; they're like a gang or something Bells. Jared and Paul just both dumped all their old friends and started following Sam like he's God or something."

He looked like he was going to say more when Billy called for everyone's attention and started the tribal stories. I sat and listened sneaking peeks at Sam every few seconds, Jake and I were sitting basically across the fire from them so we were only maybe 15 feet away. I was only half listening as my eyes drifted from Billy back over to Sam, I had thought he was looking the other way but I was wrong, all of a sudden I felt like all the noise drifted away as my eyes locked onto Sam's clear silver grey eyes.

We stared into each other's eyes and all of a sudden he looked like he was having a heart attack or something. He looked stunned I could have sworn I saw a million emotions cross his face in an instant pre-dominantly shock, protectiveness, and love. I wanted to look away, but I couldn't. It was so strange, I felt drawn to him, like I had to know him. I finally looked away when Jake shook me and shouted in my ear, "Bella!"

I scowled and yelled, "What? God Jake, fuck! Are you trying to give me a heart attack?"

He smirked at me "Well I'm sorry Bella but I'd been trying to get your attention for 10 minutes, which is how long you have been staring at Sam, and Billy finished the stories 5 minutes ago."

I felt my face turn scarlet, "shut up Jacob! I wasn't staring at him! I just was lost in thought"

He laughed and said, "Sure, sure Bells. Chances are I don't want to know what those thoughts were of"

I was saved from hearing the rest of Jakes comment by Charlie walking up, "Hey kids! Are you having fun?"

Jake smirked again and said, "Yeah Charlie, Bells has been having lots of fun…"

I interrupted hastily, "Dad I think Billy's calling you, you better go over, here I'll go with you"

I took my dads hand and half pulled him away as we went over to where Billy was sitting. As my dad got settled I wandered back over to Jake hoping he had been distracted enough to forget about me nearly drooling over a guy I hadn't even met.

I found Jake talking to another guy about halfway up the beach as I approached Jake turned and said "Hey Bells, this is my friend Quil. Quil, this is Bella Swan, Charlie's daughter"

Quil laughed stuck his hand out and said "Hey, nice to meet you."

I shook his hand and said "Likewise"

We found a place with some rocks to sit on and sat Jake immediately started complaining about Sam Uley again, "I swear Bella I was trying to tell you before I'm sure Sam's fine but he's definitely not the hero my dad tries to make him out to be. I know for a fact him and his friends smoke pot, I've seen them doing it on the beach when they thought no one was around, I said something to my dad once and he just said that I had to be mistaken"

I snorted a little "Jake seriously? He's a bad guy because he smokes some pot? Christ Jake, I've smoked pot! Hell, I would still smoke pot, but I live with Charlie and I don't think he'd appreciate it. What with him being Chief of police and all I really don't want him to have to take in his only daughter for smoking in the house"

Jake looked shocked as he looked at me, "Seriously Bells? You smoke? I would never have known,"

I laughed at him replying, "yeah Jake, why? You got any?"

He shook his head "I've never done that shit, I dunno, I guess I'd try it."

Quil interrupted then, "well you guys are in luck as I just happen to have a joint if you guys want to share"

I smiled at him; I knew this kid was cool. I nodded and stood up to take a scan to see that no one was really around, the bonfire was still burning but most of the adults had cleared out, I saw my dad heading back towards Jakes house and I called out "hey dad I'll meet you back at Billy's around 11:30 ok?"

He called back "yeah Kid that's fine, don't be late though okay?"

I waved him off and watched till he was out of sight before sitting back down and saying, "ok Quil lets get this sparked"

We lit the joint and started passing it around, we were joking and Quil was telling me a story about Jake and their friend Embry when 2 guys came up to us with a 12 pack of beer. I recognized Sam from before. Jake and Quil looked guilty and tried to hide the joint but Sam and the other guy smiled and Sam said, "Hey can we get down on that joint, we'll give each of you a beer if you promise not to tell Billy."

I looked at Jake and Quil and they both nodded, so I replied, "sure thing "

They handed out the beers and I took the joint from Quil took my hit and passed it to Sam, he inhaled and handed it to his friend and asked, "Hey you're the chiefs daughter right? I'm Sam Uley this is my friend Jared. Weren't you dating one of the Cullen's? I think I remember Billy mentioning it once."

I gave him a small smile and said, "Hey, I'm Bella, yeah I was but I broke up with him before he moved, he was kind of sucky as a boyfriend"

Someone, I think it was Quil, brought a battery operated stereo and was playing music it was heavy and loud.

****Sam POV from the beginning of the bonfire****

I settle down in a spot next to Billy by the fire, I hear Jacob Black answering a question that I wasn't paying attention enough to hear until I heard Jake say my name. He's telling his friend who is almost pointedly looking in the opposite direction how much he hates me and how I walk around like I own the res and I stare at him as if I know something he doesn't, I laugh at that. Wait till he finds out.

I can tell he is going to phase soon. I start to get pissed as I hear him telling his friend about Leah. I look at the girl; she's has a pretty, open face but I can't see what color her eyes are. She's small and thin, but nicely rounded in the right places, with long mahogany brown hair that she has tied back in a high ponytail. She actually stands up for me and tells Jake not to judge me for how Leah and I broke up, that's nice of her. I listen to Billy as he starts telling the stories, I don't know why but my eyes keep returning to the girl with Jacob.

She's leaning against him but they don't look like they're together, friends but not more than that. I keep trying to catch her when she looks at me but she keeps avoiding me.

I look again, as she immediately shifts her gaze to Billy; I decide I'm not going to look away this time. I want to see what color her eyes are. She finally looks away from Billy and her deep brown eyes lock to mine, I gasp and I'm sure I look like I'm dying. It's everything Harry said and more, every connection I had holding me to the earth doesn't matter anymore all that matters is her.

Fuck! I imprinted. I could tell her everything, as my imprint she could know about the wolf. She could know everything. I fell into her eyes, they were deep brown pools and I wanted to just live in them. I don't know how long we sat there staring into each other's eyes. She finally looked away when Jacob Black shook her and yelled in her ear. I heard her curse at him that he was trying to give her a heart attack. He started laughing at her and teasing her for staring at me I decided to leave while she was distracted.

I found Harry talking with Jared by the Clearwater's house I jogged up and interrupted, "Harry I'm sorry to interrupt but I have to talk to you"

Jared nodded and asked, "what's up Sam?"

I looked between the two of them and just spit it out, "I imprinted. God I don't even know her name! She was sitting with Jacob Black. Harry do you know her? She's a white girl."

Harry looked surprised and Jared just laughed, I knew why he was laughing, he was hoping to give me back some of the teasing I gave him about Kim and how she owns him. I don't think I could ever be whipped the way he is, I mean, I'm Alpha fucking Wolf.

Harry finally shook himself out of his stunned surprise "That's Bella Swan, Sam, Charlie's daughter. She dated one of the Cullen's. I heard from her dad yesterday though that she dumped him and then found out they were moving. Are you going to tell her?"

I looked at him, "I have to right? I don't know, I'm worried about how she'll take it, and what with her and Jake being so close."

He cut me off, "Maybe that's a good thing Sam, you could get to know her a little and then after Jake phases you could both tell her so this way she doesn't have to keep it from him and he won't have to keep it from her either. I think once she gets to know you a little better she'll accept the imprint for what it is."

I nodded that was a good idea. Jake knew her; he would know how to break it to her. Harry went back inside and Jared clapped me on the back laughing "I guess now you'll see what it's like and I can tease you for being whipped"

I scowled at him as he went to the back of his car and pulled out a 12 pack he asked, "you wanna go back down to the beach? I think Quil Ateara has a joint maybe we can get down if we give them some beer."

I nodded at him, "Maybe, but what if they tell Billy we gave them alcohol?"

He laughed, "We tell him they were smoking weed, everyone loses. Besides we'll only give them one can apiece."

I agreed and we headed down the road. We got to the beach and I could see Quil with a couple of his friends by where the rocks were. We walked up on them and I recognized Jake and Bella and that Jake and Quil were trying to hide the joint from sight. I smiled and asked, "Hey can we get down on that joint, we'll give each of you a beer if you promise not to tell Billy."

They nod and Bella answers, "Sure thing."

So we hand each of them a beer and she takes her hit and passes it to me. I inhale and pass it to Jared holding my hit and then exhaling the smoke, sometimes I'm surprised that pot still affects us the same as it did when we were human. It's effects only slightly diminished. Alcohol is almost a waste but sometimes I just like the taste.

I only take a few hits since I have patrol later I say hello to Bella and ask if she's the chief's daughter, like I don't know, then I ask her about the leech. She tells me that yeah, she's Bella and that he was sucky as a boyfriend and that they broke up. She looks great, laid back and fun but with an edge. Quil pulls out a stereo and puts in a cd, it's Rob Zombie's Sinister Urge disc so it's heavy and pulsing but with a beat to it

I asked Bella if she wants to dance but she shakes her head and says she can't. I laugh at her, "Bella everyone can dance, it's just a matter of feeling the music and letting yourself react to it. Plus it's ok if you step on my feet I promise you won't hurt me"

She laughs and we get up and start dancing, I notice that Jake looks pissed but then shrugs and goes to a fire a couple yards down from us and starts talking to one of the girls. We sit back down after a couple of songs and we start talking, I ask her about her life, "I moved here from Phoenix to live with my Dad at the end of last summer, I started dating Edward shortly after that. I could never be myself with him. I had to change everything to be who he wanted me to be, finally I just gave up, I didn't want to be that girl. I wanted to be me. Enough about me, tell me about you"

I nodded "Well I'm 21, I live on my own, my mom died when I was 19. Jared and I do a lot of construction and repair work around the res and in Forks with our friend Paul. Bella, Cullen was stupid for wanting you to be anyone other than you. You seem pretty cool to me, I'd like to get to know you better."

I brushed a piece of hair off her face feeling a low current passing through our skin and she smiles, "I'd like that too Sam, do you have a piece of paper? I'll give you my number and maybe we can hang out sometime this week"

I looked in my pocket and found an old receipt from the grocery store and a pen, I tore the paper in half and wrote my number down on it with my name and a small note before passing it to her with the other half and the pen.

She put my number in her pocket and wrote on the paper giving it back to me with the pen and saying, "it's getting late, I have to get back to Jakes so I can catch a ride home with my dad"

I nodded and put the paper in my pocket with the pen, I gave her a quick hug and walked away to meet back with Jared. I heard her call out to Jake that they had to get back. I sat down next to Jared and he laughed at me, "Well at least you know she's not uptight or anything, she won't get on you about your habits until you knock her up."

I smacked him in the shoulder, "Hey! That's my imprint you're talking about asshole. How's Kim anyway? She still pissed at you for leaving that bag in her car?"

He sighed, "yeah I don't know what her problem was, it was just a 20 bag it wasn't a big deal. Other than that she's good. Her dad is finally on board with us dating, we did what we wanted regardless of how he felt but it's nice that he's not hassling her about it anymore."

I nodded and told him "go home and get some sleep, I have overnight patrol tonight, you're relieving me for the early morning shift at 8, then Paul will relieve you at 2 so u can get to work by 3."

We went our separate ways; I was in my kitchen getting a drink when I pulled Bella's number out of my pocket. It read "_call me soon, Sam. ~ Bella" _I programmed her number in my phone left that on the kitchen counter and headed out to relieve Paul. I would call her tomorrow and ask her on a date, I hoped Jake would phase soon, and then she could know everything.

**A/N: Ch updated 12/26/10**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Stephanie Meyers owns Twilight. I do not. If I did own Twilight it would have probably been easier to read. It also would not have had the phrase "Bridal Style" on every other page. Does anyone know what Jared's last name is? I've just been avoiding giving him one because I don't know what it is, I could just make one up, if no one knows it that's what I'll do because I can't keep avoiding it.**

****Bella's POV after leaving Sam****

Jake and I got back to his house at 11:30 on the dot; Dad was just coming out the door. I said goodnight to Jake who looked wiped and got into the cruiser with Dad. I hoped that the beach air had taken all traces of pot smoke off my clothes and hair and that I didn't smell like beer. I had only had the one can and with so many of us the joint had practically been a waste as we had only gotten 2 or 3 hits apiece and Quil's stuff wasn't hardcore strong or anything.

Still I had a light buzz going and I really didn't want Charlie to figure it out and get majorly pissed off. If he knew I had used drugs and alcohol with Jake he might not let us hang out anymore, and if he knew I had used them with Sam he might not let me go out with him. If Billy liked Sam though I figured Dad would like him too.

Charlie got into the cruiser with me, "Hey Kid, did you have a good time?"

I nodded, "yeah Dad it was great, I got to meet some new people. Jake introduced me to his friend Quil and then we ran into Sam Uley and one of his friends, Jared I think."

I must have been rambling or he hadn't expected me to tell him all that because he looked at me a little strangely before starting up the car and heading back towards home. When we pulled up at the house we got out of the cruiser and Dad went up to the porch and opened the door. I went straight up to the bathroom to start taking off my makeup, I washed my face and brushed my teeth. I thought about taking a shower but decided it could wait for the morning. I went into my room shutting the door behind me so I could change.

I pulled Sam's number out of my pocket and dropped it on my nightstand. I sat down and unlaced my boots tossing them to the floor along with my dirty clothes; I'd put them in the hamper in the morning. I pulled on a pair of tiny cotton shorts with a tank top and flopped down onto my bed. I pulled my phone out from my nightstand drawer; I hadn't even really looked at it since Renee gave it to me back in Phoenix.

I had told Renee that I didn't need a cell but she insisted on buying me one anyway, she put it on her and Phil's family plan and told me not to worry about the bill. I turned it on and plugged the charger into it. I had given Sam this number instead of the house to avoid any awkward questions from Charlie. If it ever got to be something official I'd pass along the house number but till then, the cell was all he got. I turned it on and found that I had 2 text messages.

One was from Alice; I debated deleting it without opening it but was afraid it might be something important. _'Hey Bella I just wanted to apologize about the phone call last night. I won't look for you again deliberately in the future. If you need me for anything, call me. I do hope that one day we can be friends again' _satisfied that it wasn't anything dire I deleted the text and moved on.

I picked up the paper with Sam's number on it; I noticed that he had written more than just his number. _'Call me soon pretty girl; I have something to ask you. Sam.' _I programmed his number into my phone along with Jake's and Quil's and then went back to the other text. I noticed that where before had just been a phone number it was now neatly labeled "Sam Uley" I opened it smiling and read it '_Hey Bella, I just wanted to tell you I had a really good time dancing and talking with you. Hope to talk to you soon, sweet dreams, Sam' _I felt really good about meeting Sam, I felt like he was supposed to be in my life, like we were natural.

A part of me was afraid that if we got into a relationship that he would try to change me like Edward did. I shrugged it off; Sam seemed to like me fine as I was. He had even told me that Edward was stupid for wanting me to be someone different. Another part of me felt like it was weird to be so comfortable with him so fast but again I shrugged it off, just because it felt right didn't mean it was wrong. I liked him a lot; if he liked me back that was a good thing! I put my phone on the nightstand and fell asleep lost in the memories of Sam's eyes smiling at me while we talked and danced.

**Sam POV**

I had relieved Embry and Paul a little before midnight I tied my pants to my ankle and phased in. They reported in that everything was normal, and Paul thought _'so how was the bonfire? You guys have fun?' _unbidden thoughts of Bella popped into my head, watching her across the fire, imprinting, the shape of her lips as she took a hit, dancing with her, and her smile when I told her I'd like to get to know her better. _'Damn Sam, I didn't need the whole song and dance, it's so weird to feel the imprint through you and Jared's memories. I hope I don't imprint for a long ass time. I enjoy my time with the ladies.' _

I rolled my eyes _'sorry man, at least I didn't think it on purpose like you and some of your __**lady time**__, you guys can head home I got this. Paul you have afternoon shift tomorrow. Embry you'll have overnight with me so I can see if you're ready to go on your own after that. We're going to have to put a wolf on Jake watch within the next few days; I think he's going to phase within the next week. Quil probably not for another 2, I hate that they will both have to have this life put on them but at least with 6 of us we'll be able to have lives again too.' _

They nodded and ran off towards their own houses. Embry was a decent kid, he had told me he was grounded which was why I gave him overnights, I figured it'd be easier for him to sneak out and do his duty if he could leave after his mom went to sleep at night.

I ran the perimeters and thought about Bella. She was really everything I could have asked for, she was hot as hell, and good to talk to, despite her claims that she couldn't dance she had actually been fine. You could tell she wasn't totally at ease with herself, but I attributed that to what she told me about her and Cullen's relationship.

She was also chill as fuck; she hit the joint like a pro and didn't even bat an eyelash at the taste of the beer so she had drank a little before and definitely smoked some. She seemed like she was really nice, I felt like I could tell her my whole life story and she wouldn't judge me. Damn, did I just think that? Really? At least Jared wasn't here to hear this; he'd accuse me of being whipped already.

I'd gotten Bella's address from Harry who was friends with her father. As I took the trail up towards their house I caught a whiff of leach stink, God that's disgusting, it's like rotting flesh and bleach covered in cotton candy. Even though it did smell dangerous it didn't smell quite like any of the other vampires I had killed. I didn't know how to describe it, tamer? I know that doesn't make sense but there was something less frantic about this scent. I deduced that it was one of the Cullen's and I growled before realizing that it was at least a couple of days old. I guess it was Edward's; he must have come by at night quite frequently.

My wolf saw red at the thought of the leach lying in bed wrapped around our Bella. _'Whoa there Sammy Boy,' _I thought to myself, _'She isn't yours yet, and lets not forget that you ain't no lily white virgin yourself. Her past is not your business, whether she was with 1 man or 10 men, that's her business. You can't hold her life before you against her.' _

I got the wolf back under control I wouldn't have cared if she had been with men, but the leach was another story entirely. I couldn't stop the wolf from being pissed if his mortal enemy had been there before him. It would definitely be a problem. I just hoped I wouldn't have to deal with it.

I made sure that nothing felt or smelled wrong around Bella's and then headed back to finish my patrol around the Res. I looped around Billy's it was about 3am and everything seemed quiet. I had a meeting with the council this evening and I would announce the imprint then. I hoped Billy would be ok with it, I knew that he loved Bella like a daughter and even though I knew he liked me it was one thing to like me as a person and another to like me as someone who was going to be eventually banging your almost daughter.

I started another full circuit around the Res and after that was done with no signs of anything amiss I picked a spot in a pretty central location and lay down. I would rest for an hour and then take another round, this would continue until Jared came on at 8 to relieve me. I thought about Jake and Quil and wondered how Jake would take the imprint, I knew they were not together but he seemed pissed when we were dancing so it seemed he liked her a little, I guess she was the one who didn't feel the same. My thoughts somehow drifted to Leah, I knew that she was seeing someone and I was glad that she was happy. I just hoped that she could be happy for me.

The last two years had been weird. She kept thinking eventually I'd want to be with her again and the more time went on without an imprint she had started to get more vocal, saying how her dad must have been wrong about it not being as rare for us. Jared had phased about 6 months after me and it was another 6 months after that when he looked at the girl sitting next to him in his math class to ask if he could borrow a pencil and imprinted on Kim.

When Leah found out about that she finally accepted that we would not be getting back together. It hit her hard and she stopped talking to me for another 6 months, she told me she had to get me out of her head and her heart so that she could start trying to date again. When I ran into her picking up something for a bonfire at Sue's she was cordial and told me that she had started dating again and that we could be friends again. The first couple of months were strange and a little tense as her boyfriend didn't like that we were talking again but I assured him he had nothing to worry about and eventually he came around.

As it got close to daybreak I circled around and found a spot on the cliffs to watch the sunrise, it was beautiful. I would have to take Bella here one morning to see this. I sat here for about a half hour and then made another circle around town before going to meet up with Jared. _'Hey man, everything's clear here, do me a favor and watch Jacob on his way home from school to see how he looks. I think we have till Friday at least but with Embry not speaking to him it could push it faster. Pack meeting at my place between patrols, let Paul know, I'll send Embry a text.' _

He replied,_ 'Sure thing Sam, see you later'_ I ran back to my yard, phased and pulled my shorts on before heading inside.

I picked up my phone from the counter and sent the text to Embry. My phone vibrated in my hand and I looked down to see that I had a text from Bella, '_Good-morning Sam. Hope your night was good, I'll call you on my lunch hour. That'll be around 1:00 so I hope that's good for you. If not text me back and let me know when's good for you to talk, xX Bella' _

I shot her back a text letting her know that 1 would be fine. I brought my phone into my room and set it on my dresser before pulling the shade down over the grey rainy day and wondered at how the weather could change so quickly. It had only been a couple hours before that I had watched a beautiful sunrise, but that was La Push weather for you I guess. I flopped into my bed pulled a sheet over me and fell asleep, thinking about Bella.

**A/N: Ok this chapter was pretty much filler again but I think it also gives you a bit more insight into what Sam thinks of Bella so far, and also into Bella's feelings about getting involved again and her worries. **


	6. Welcome to the pack Jake

**A/N: Stephanie Meyer owns Twilight and all it contains. I own the original ideas and situations in this story and nothing more. One of the reviews asked me about Bella's age in this story, she's 18 and a senior in high school; Sam in this story is 21. Jared is 19 and out of high school, Paul is 18 and a senior and Jake, Embry, and Quil are all 16 and sophomores. Don't forget to leave some love.**

****Bella's POV****

My day has been dragging forward like a snail. I feel like I'm going to jump out of my skin if this class doesn't end soon. I had shot Sam a text shortly before leaving for school. By the time first period ended he had gotten back to me and that was when my day started to drag. Now I'm sitting in math, which is my last class before lunch, and I feel like I've been in here for 5 hours!

I know that's not logical thinking and that it's not even possible to have been in this one class for that long but that's how I feel. I just want the bell to ring! I try to concentrate on what the teacher is saying. I'm drawing little hearts in the corner of my notebook and glance up at the clock to see that there are still 2 minutes left. I put my head down on my desk with a thump I look up to see Jessica looking at me like I've officially lost my mind. Finally the bell rings, I jump out of my seat grabbing my things and running out of the class.

I run through the rain out to my truck because I really don't want to make this call where anyone can hear me. I don't want to sit around answering endless questions as I try to talk to Sam. I pull him up on my contacts and hit send, the phone rings and just when I think it's going to go to voicemail he picks up. "Hello? Bella?"

_Shit_, I think, his voice is heavy with sleep, it's low and gruff and oh my god so fucking sexy. I shake my head trying to clear it and manage to talk, "Hey, Sam, did I wake you up? I'm so sorry!"

He laughs a little at my discomfort, "It's cool Bella, I set an alarm to go off half an hour ago but I must have lost power during the morning sometime my clock is flashing 12 at me"

I feel relieved that at least it's not my fault and I ask, "So according to your note you have something you wanted to ask me?"

He laughs again and the sound of his sleep-laden laughter makes me want to jump on him, ugh what is my problem I've never been this lust driven before, he's talking and I tune back in "…Friday night?"

Shit! I missed the whole first part of his question! "Sam I'm sorry I spaced for a minute, I'm not sure what you asked me…"

I admit it and hope that he isn't annoyed he sounds amused when he answers, "it's cool, and I was just asking if you wanted to go out with me sometime this week? Maybe Friday night?"

I smile as I reply, "That sounds great Sam! Friday sounds good to me"

Crap! It's only Monday! This week is going to go so slow!

****Sam's POV** **

Ok so I just asked out Bella and she said yes! Fuck why did I have to say Friday? This week is going to fucking drag. I realize she's waiting for me to say something and try to pull it together, "Awesome, so Friday? We can do dinner and a movie in Port Angeles if that sounds good with you."

She replies, "That sounds good to me, I have work Tuesday and Thursday this week and I'm supposed to go down to Jakes on Wednesday so maybe I'll run into you while I'm down there."

I will definitely make sure I run into her on Wednesday, it'll probably be the only way I can stay sane until Friday. "Sounds good Bella, if I run into you Wednesday I'll get your address then. Otherwise maybe I'll stop up at your job on Thursday, where do you work?"

She replies, "I work over at the Newton's store. Thursday I'll be there from 4 to close, that's usually a slow night anyway so if you have time feel free to stop by. I have to go in though, I'm really glad we got to talk. I'll text you later ok?"

I respond that that's more than fine and we say goodbye. Ok, so I have a date…shit. I haven't been on a date since Leah and even then we didn't really go out much. What if dating has changed? I pushed it out of my head, I had to get ready for the pack meeting at 2 and I had the council meeting tonight at 5 so I had to concentrate on that.

****Three Hours Later****

The pack meeting was boring; no one had caught any whiff of bloodsucker in weeks. Jared and Embry told me that Jake would phase probably sooner than later. I just hoped he'd do it either before or after Friday night so that I wouldn't have to cut my date with Bella short. Apparently Embry's defection to our "mysterious gang" had really pissed him off. Well that and when confronted Embry had told Jake I was a good guy and that even Bella liked me to which Jake had told Embry to fuck off.

I sat down and watched a re-run of Seinfeld trying to keep my mind off the council meeting, Harry was the only one who knew that I'd imprinted on Bella besides the guys. Embry was worried about how Jake would take it but I told him that I didn't think Bella was ever interested in Jake like that so really if it wasn't me it would've been someone else and that at least with me he didn't have to worry about me ever hurting or mistreating her.

I'm really nervous about Billy's reaction I mean I know it's stupid. There's nothing he can do about it, I just hope that he isn't upset by it. Seinfeld isn't working to keep me distracted, it's a stupid Newman episode and I fucking hate that character so I decide the only thing that's going to mellow me out is to pack a bowl.

I open up the compartment in the side of the table and take out my bowl and a 20 sack. The joint that I had smoked with Bella and the guys had been really weak shit, I hoped Bella was used to stronger because the stuff I get is really high end exotics that a buddy of mine from high school grows, and if she is only used to that rag that Quil had this shit is gunna knock her on her ass.

I pack my bowl and take a couple of big hits, I obviously don't want to be knee walking stoned but I want to be mellow before going in and facing the other Elders. In all the readings no one had ever imprinted on a girl who wasn't native, they weren't always Quileute but they were always of native blood, Harry and Billy being good friends of Charlie's I knew they wouldn't care, so it was just Old Quil's response that I was worried about.

Paul had pitched a fit when he found out Bella was the one who had dated a Cullen but I reminded him that she was also the reason they were gone. Even if she hadn't dated him they still would have been here and we still would have changed. Her dating and subsequent dumping of the leech is what had sent them all packing, saving our younger tribe members from this life, or so we hoped. So now he was fully established on Team Bella. I covered the bowl and the carb suffocating the ember and put both it and the bag away making sure that the compartment was securely closed before heading over to the meeting hall.

I walked in to find Harry, Billy, and Old Quil already in their seats. I sat down and said, "I have some news"

Harry nodded at me and the others looked at me quizzically as I said, "I imprinted"

Billy and Old Quil both smiled at me and wished me congratulations. Billy asked, "So who is she?"

I looked down at the ground trying to figure out how to say it then looked up and just spit it out, "it's Bella. Bella Swan."

Old Quil gaped at me while Billy's face turned an interesting shade of purple. Old Quil spoke first, "But, she's a white girl… what I mean is, no one has ever imprinted on a non native. Bella is obviously special if you have imprinted on her Sam. That being said, you are Alpha, and if Jacob doesn't phase you are future chief"

I cut him off there, "Jacob _will_ phase. It's already begun; I estimate that he has another week at the most, so we don't even need to talk about how the Chief may not marry an outsider"

Billy spoke for the first time, "Sam, I know that you will treat Bella well, you're a good man. You know that I respect you, but Bella is like a daughter to me. I don't want to see her mixed up with things that she shouldn't be doing… Charlie being Chief of Police in Forks I think you know what I'm saying."

Shit. He's pulling the drug card, fucking Jacob. I sigh, "Billy do you think that I would pressure Bella into doing something that she didn't want to do?"

Billy looks at me as if this is not the answer he expected, "no Sam I don't but unfortunately her relationship with Cullen showed me a side of her that I didn't know about, he manipulated her, easily. She changed everything about herself to make him happy."

I interrupt him, "Yes she mentioned it to me, and she also told me that she didn't want to be anyone other than herself and that ultimately that's why she dumped him. She's stronger than you are giving her credit for Billy. I promise you that I will never want her to be anyone other than who she is. I would never manipulate her to get what I wanted from her, if I ask her if she wants to do something and she says no or hesitates and I think she wants to say no then that's that. I know that Charlie is a cop, I would never set her up to get into trouble with him or to disgrace him in any way."

I finish my little speech and Billy just nods before smiling at me, "well she is 18, she can make her own decisions. I'm happy for you Sam, she's a good girl, you do right by her and she'll do right by you"

The rest of the meeting is uneventful and I am happy when it draws to a close. Billy's response to the imprint wasn't totally unexpected; I knew that Jacob had tattled to him about the time that he had seen Jared and me smoking on the beach and that that's really where the comment had come from. I made a mental note that smoking was probably better done at home, it was fun to chill at the beach and watch the ocean while we did it but if Charlie ever caught us chances are I'd be banned from seeing Bella until she moved out of his house.

I let myself in the front door to find Jared sitting on the couch watching a movie, "what's up man? What're you doing here?"

He went and helped himself to a beer from the fridge, "just figured I'd stop over before I go to Kim's and find out how your meeting went. How pissed was Billy when you told him you imprinted on his almost daughter?"

I snorted laughter, "he wasn't pissed per se, but I was right when I told you that Jake ratted on us that time he caught us smoking on the beach"

Jared gasped, "seriously? Damn, he'll take some ribbing for that when he phases the little shit."

I nodded, "yeah so Billy just wanted to make sure I wouldn't pressure Bella into using or try to make her into a stoner or something"

He laughed and finished up his beer before saying, "like you have to try! She looked more than comfortable hitting that joint last night. Speaking of which can I bum a bowl pack to smoke with Kim later?"

I nodded took out my stash and gave him a couple buds, "here ya go. That's strong, don't let her go crazy with it I don't want to hear any shit from her dad this time or I swear Jared it'll be the last time I give you anything to smoke with her."

He nodded and headed out.

I flopped down on the couch, it was about 7 o'clock, and I had 3 hours before I had to relieve Paul on patrol. I was about to send Bella a text when I heard the howl. Shit! I ran out the back door of my house pulling my pants off and tying them to my leg before and phasing as I ran into the woods. _'What's going on Paul?' _

Before he could answer I heard the panicked thoughts of a new wolf. _'Holy shit, what the hell is going on? I knew I shouldn't have smoked that shit! Bella said it was harmless! Why the fuck do I have paws?" _

I would have laughed if it had been funny but I remembered my first phase, I quickly made my way through the woods to Jakes backyard _'Jacob, Jake! Calm down man and I'll explain'_

_He thought, 'what the fuck? Sam? Is that you?'_

I rolled my eyes _'Yeah Jake it's me, look the legends are true you're a werewolf, well a shape shifter, and you phased because there were vampires in the area. That's why we exist, to protect our tribe and kill vampires. Well except the Cullen's because they only drink animal blood. I thought we had more time, I even told your Dad that I thought you had at least a week'_

Jake was incredulous, _'Vampires? The Cullen's? My DAD knows?'_

I roll my eyes at his astonishment,_ 'Yes, but you can't just tell anyone, look the only people who can know are us, the Elder's and our imprints'_

As I thought imprint my mind flashed to Bella and Jake growled _'Why are you thinking about Bells? What the fuck is an imprint?' _

I sigh and explain, _'Look Jake I'll explain everything but right now I need you to phase back, just think human and take deep breaths, you have to stay calm or you'll be stuck as a wolf until you do' _

I went to the other side of the shed and phased back pulling on my shorts. I went up to Billy's back door and knocked before letting myself in, "Billy?"

He wheeled himself in from the living room, "Sam? What are you doing here?"

I sighed as I explained, "Jake phased Billy, I'm sorry I thought we had more time. I need to grab him some shorts, he should be able to phase back soon"

Billy nodded and pointed to where Jake's room was, I ran in grabbed him a pair of basketball shorts from his closet and went back to the yard. I found him sitting on the grass covering himself with his hands I tossed him the shorts and went back into the kitchen.

He came in a minute later and sat down at the table, Billy came in and put his arm around him asking, "How are you doing son?"

Jake shrugged, "I guess I'm ok, I mean it's a lot to take in. Werewolf? I thought I was going crazy. I guess I'm happy that I'm not."

I nodded at him in understanding, "Jake can you tell me what happened? I was sure you weren't that close, were you fighting with someone?"

He nodded, "I was fighting with Bells about you! I mean I know she doesn't like me like that, she told me the other day she didn't see me that way it just made me so mad that it was you and on top of stealing her you stole Embry too. I guess I understand now though about Embry I wouldn't have been so pissed about her liking you if not for him though."

As soon as he said Bells I tensed, I was trying my best to keep my cool and I choked out through clenched teeth, "what do you mean you were fighting with Bella? She wasn't here was she? You didn't hurt her did you?"

I knew I was being irrational, if Bella were hurt I would have known, the imprint connection would have made me feel it. He shook his head sadly, "I would never hurt Bells, I was on my cell with her, and it's destroyed. Sorry Dad."

Billy just nodded while I breathed out a sigh of relief, "I'm sorry Jake I know she's your best friend, it's just the wolf gets a little crazy where his imprint is concerned."

Jake looked confused again, "what's an imprint Sam? And why are they allowed to know our secret?"

I sit down across from him and say, "Jake imprinting is when a wolf finds his soul mate, it's like love at first sight but much stronger. The first time you look into her eyes post phase it's like every single connection you had to this earth, your family, friends, other girls, all of them cease to matter and she becomes the center of your universe."

He seemed like he was choking, he made these weird garbled noises until he gave a huge cough and choked out "and you imprinted on Bella?"

I nodded then a look of comprehension struck him, "Leah…That's why you dumped her the way you did when you came back to town. She wasn't your imprint"

I nod my head as I answer, "Yeah, Harry had explained imprinting to me, he said that if I looked at her and imprinted I could tell her everything, but that if I didn't I had to let her go so as not to break her soul in the end. So far only Jared and I have imprinted but Harry is fairly certain that all who join the pack this time will eventually imprint so that leaves you, Paul, Embry and Quil"

Jake did a double take, "Wait, Quil? Is he going to phase? Can we still be friends with him?"

I sigh as I tell him, "Quil will phase, I'm hoping it won't happen for a few days because dealing with getting you and Embry trained up will be enough for right now but I'm guessing he was just as mad as you when Embry ignored him?"

I looked over for an answer, "Nah, Quil is pretty even tempered. He was hurt by it but not pissed."

I nodded, "ok well look I know you won't like this but you have to stay away from him until he phases, I feel bad about it too but you and Embry are both new wolves and in the beginning you aren't going to have a lot of control over your emotions and it's better for him to be hurt for right now than to risk you guys getting into it over something stupid and one of you phasing in the middle of the school cafeteria or something"

He looked unhappy but agreed, "I guess you're right. So wait. Bells knows? You said imprints could know so does that mean she knew this was going to happen to me?"

I shook my head, "No Jake, Bella doesn't know yet, I didn't want her to have to keep this from you, and I didn't know how to tell her. When I talked to Harry about the imprint he suggested waiting for you to phase and then us telling her together. We should probably call her and have her come down, there's no point in waiting, plus if you destroyed your cell when you went wolf in the middle of an argument chances are she's probably worried about you. Do I have to worry about you keeping your temper Jacob? If I have to I can put an alpha command on you but I would prefer not to have to do that"

He looked a little confused as he answered, "I'll be fine Sam now that I know the truth about Embry I'm not mad anymore. I can't be mad at you for Bells because she told me before she even met you that she wasn't interested in me romantically. Uh…what's an alpha command?"

I shake my head and tell him, "Well I'm the Alpha of the pack so if I need to I can place a command on you and you have to do what I say. Like if I'm trying to talk and you're talking over me I can order you to be quiet. Or like not being able to talk about the wolf with anyone other than the pack, the elder's and your imprint, I try not to use it as much as possible but if I have to I will. Jake I don't know if you know this but your great grandfather Ephraim Black was the last Alpha of the pack, technically it's your birthright to be Alpha, if you want it I will step aside"

Jake actually looked like he was going to keel over, "what? Me? Alpha? No, man! I can't be in charge! I'm brand new and you want me to take over? Are you insane?"

I cut him off, "No, Jake I'm just telling you the option is there for you, if in a few years you want to take over then that's a choice we can discuss then. For now though, you'll be Beta and we'll get you trained up."

He visibly relaxed, "okay then. So what now? Do you want to call Bells or should I?"

I rolled my eyes at him and took my phone out of my pocket and dialed Bella, she answered on the third ring, "Hey Sam, what's up?"

She sounded upset and I hated for her to sound sad, "Hey baby, umm I'm at Jakes right now, he said you guys were having an argument and he wanted me to call you and ask if you could come down so that we can all talk this out"

She sighed, "yeah I can do that, let me leave a note for Dad and I'll be down there in the next 20 minutes or so, I'm sorry that you got dragged into this Sam. I don't know what his problem is, we talked about this on Saturday I told him he was like a brother to me and he seemed ok with that then."

I tried to sound comforting, "I'm sure it'll be fine Bella, we've already sorted most of it out he just wants to talk to you and there's some things that all 3 of us have to talk about too"

She sounds curious as she asks, "Oh? Okay, I'll see you soon then, let Billy know I'm coming okay?"

I tell her, "Sure thing Bella, see you soon."

We hang up and I went with Jake into the living room to watch tv and wait for her to get here.


	7. What's an imprint?

**A/N I don't own Twilight, Stephanie Meyer does. I want to say thanks again to everyone who is reading this, especially if you took the time to put it on an alert or left a review, I'm happy that people seem to like it. I wish more of you would review because I like to know how you guys are feeling about the direction I'm taking. Well, here we go…**

****Bella POV from Sam's phone call****

I hung up with Sam and grabbed the white board marker and left a note on the fridge, '_Dad, went to Billy's to talk to Jake about something, I'll ask Sam about fixing the window like we talked about earlier. I should be back by 11:30 the latest, will call if anything comes up, -B.'_

I was in the truck and halfway to La Push when it struck me; What was Sam doing at Jakes? Maybe he had been stopping by to see Billy and caught the tail end of the argument that I'd been having with Jake. That was another thing, I had no idea what the fuck crawled up Jake's ass but he had fucking nerve. He started screaming at me the second I said 'Hello'

I didn't even catch most of what he'd been saying, something about Sam ruining his life and Embry and I having bad taste in men. I have no idea what that was about. What pissed me off more was when he started accusing me of liking Sam just to piss him off and make him jealous because I knew he hated him. What a crock! I liked Sam because he was nice, chill, seemed like a really good, genuine guy, and on top of all that he was fucking gorgeous, and gave me the tingles whenever I was close to him, what was not to like about him?

When I told Jake all that, I had heard a strangled scream and then the line went dead. I tried calling him back but it went straight to voicemail, I figured he wasn't home so I didn't bother trying the house. I was worried about him, had something attacked him? I knew he was ok because Sam had said they were both at Billy's now but what had happened? I drove the rest of the way a little faster because I had managed to get myself pissed off and a little bit worried again.

I pulled up and got out of the truck I was halfway up the porch steps when the front door pulled open and Sam came through it scooping me up in his arms and hugging me tight. I wrapped my arms around his neck and hung on for a minute before we heard a throat clear behind us. I blushed as Sam set me down on the porch; I was wondering what the hell had gotten into me that made me respond so strongly to him. I turned and smiled at Billy, he pulled the door open and said, "Hey Bella, come on in."

I followed Sam through the door and over to the couch. I sat down next to him and asked, "Where's Jake?"

I heard his bedroom door open and gasped as Jake came through to the living room he was huge! He'd gone from 6'2 to 6'5 and from looking like a semi built teen to an overly muscled man in his early 20's in the course of 2 days; I started to freak out, "What? How? Jake?"

I was hyperventilating, "I? You? 2 days ago?"

Sam wrapped his arms around me rubbing my back and guiding my head down between my knees while telling me, "Shh Bella, it's ok, he's fine, we can explain everything, just breathe Baby, you have to calm down so we can talk to you and you can understand. Breathe Baby, breathe"

I was taking deep gasping breaths and concentrating on the feel of Sam's overly hot hand through my shirt on my back and the comforting sound of his voice, after about 2 minutes Sam pulled my head gently back up to look me in the eye. He held my face in his hands looking deep into my eyes, "are you ok Bella? Do you think you are alright to talk now?"

I nodded wordlessly; I don't think I could have actually spoken if I tried. I gestured at Jake and managed to choke out one word; "How?"

Sam held my hand in his and I noticed again the searing heat of him, I was thinking that maybe I should suggest he and Jake both go to the hospital when Jake broke the silence, "Bella? How much of the legends that I told you that day on the beach do you remember?"

I cast my mind back thinking of that beach trip with the kids from school and how I had flirted shamelessly with Jake trying to find out the stories about the Cullen's. "Umm you said that your tribe was descended from wolves, that they are sacred to your people and that when the 'cold one's' are near that certain tribe members will change to protect the tribe."

As soon as the last word came out of my mouth I gasped, it clicked. It all made sense…The Cullen's of course _were _vampires, Sam's unnatural heat, Jakes impossible growth spurt and muscles. I felt comprehension dawn on me, "You're wolves, both of you? Jared and Paul too right?"

Jake looked at me with something like pride, "I knew you'd figure it out quick. You forgot Embry though, that's what got me so pissed today, and why I called you and freaked out the way I did, which by the way I'm really sorry for. Sam thinks Quil will phase too in the next few weeks."

I sat back leaning against Sam just trying to take in everything, I looked over at him and caught his eye. He seemed like he was struggling with something, I smiled, "so? Wolf huh?"

He smiled back, "yeah, Alpha Wolf, actually. Look Bella, there's something else."

I felt my smile fade a little, "is it bad? Do you not want to see me anymore? Because you know what Edward is?"

Leave it to me to assume the worst; Sam's face was stricken with a look that I would almost call panic. "No Bella! It's just that there's another wolf thing that you need to know about."

I just looked at him and waited for him to continue, he swallowed hard, "It's called imprinting…when a wolf sees his soul mate for the first time post phase, he imprints. It's like love at first sight times a million, all the ties he has to this earth, they all switch to her, she's the only thing that matters. The wolf is drawn to the imprint, and she to him."

I tried to wrap my head around what he was saying, "So wait…you're telling me that one day somewhere down the line when we've been dating for a while or God forbid married, that you could just look a stranger in the eye and walk away from me without even a look back? Why on earth would you want to do that to me? To either of us?"

He looked like he was trying to decide between being furious with me, and flat out laughing in my face. He chose the latter. Sam laughed, long and loud; he laughed so hard tears had started rolling down his face. I gaped at Jake before coming out with, "what the fuck, Jake? Is he high?"

Jake just laughed and finally Sam started to catch his breath and come back to earth, "I imprinted on you, woman! Don't you remember the bonfire? How we were lost in each others eyes until the ass over there literally shook you out of it?"

I just stared; I had to admit, it made sense. The staring at the bonfire, I'd never been drawn to a man like that, with Edward it hadn't been him, it had been the secret, the mystery. With Sam it was just him that I wanted to know. That feeling that I had to know him. The way the sound of his voice and every deep booming laugh shot me through with lusty feelings that I'd never had before. That feeling that we were natural. It all made sense.

I leaned into him, "so you're telling me that you and I are meant to be? That we're going to fall in love, get married, and have puppies?"

Sam looked slightly uncomfortable as if I'd just asked him to do those things tomorrow, "Well umm, eventually, yeah, but for right now maybe we should just date a little and get to know each other."

I busted out laughing; the look on his face was priceless. I gasped in a big breath and told him, "Honey that's more than fine, you should've seen your face! Trust me Babe, I'm not anywhere near ready to tie you down and have babies with you, but I can't wait to start on this journey with you."

I leaned in and caught his lips with mine, I didn't forget that Billy and Jake were there but I had to kiss him, I couldn't wait any more. His lips were soft but firm against mine they molded together and I gave his bottom lip a little nip before pulling away to sit back on the sofa. I looked over at Jake, "So wolf boy, best friends?"

Jake's face broke into his sunny smile and he answered easily, "Always Bells"

It was about 9:30 and Jake, Sam and I were sitting in his living room watching tv when I remembered about the talk Charlie and I had had about finding someone to fix the front window, I had told him about Sam and that he did construction work. Dad told me to ask him if he had the time to take the job and if so to pass his number along to set things up. "Hey Sam?"

He looked up from the tv, "yeah babe?"

I snuggled closer to him and asked, "Umm, my dad needs something fixed at the house, I told him about how you do construction and he told me to ask if you had time to take the job."

Sam smiled down at me and said, "sure hon, give your dad my cell number tell him to call me sometime tomorrow. What needs fixing?"

I grimaced inwardly, and debated between a lie and the truth, "Well, when I broke up with Edward he got kind of mad and when he left he slammed the door and the big window in the door completely shattered. Dad was beyond pissed, Carlisle sent him a check to cover the damages, he said that was fine but he would have preferred that Edward be a man and apologize for them."

Sam nodded, "yeah I can see how your dad would have preferred that. It would have shown respect."

That made a lot of sense actually, Dad was big on respect and Edward showed him such a lack of it at every turn and I had just sat there and let him. I couldn't do anything about it but I decided to make a point to talk to Sam about it when we had some alone time.

A little before 10 Sam stood up and announced that he and Jake had to go meet up with Embry to relieve Paul on patrol. I got up and gave them each a big hug telling them both to stay safe for me. Sam walked me out to my truck while Jake went out the back to wait for him and give us some privacy.

As soon as I got to the door I turned and leaned against it looking up at him as he came closer and put his arm over me leaning against the frame effectively trapping me against the side, I could feel him around me even though we weren't touching. I reached my hand out and caressed his neck, he leaned in closer to me and lightly touched his lips to mine, I pulled him closer to me and wrapped my arms around his neck, this time it was him who lightly bit my bottom lip but instead of pulling away I melted against him, opening my mouth and deepening the kiss.

He pressed against me half lifting me against the car, while I wound my legs around his waist and thrust my hands into his hair, it was the most intense kiss that I had ever experienced, but just as quickly as it began it ended. Sam pulled back, placing me gently on the ground with one last chaste kiss; even from that light pressure I felt my lips tingle and I wanted more.

We smiled at each other as he brushed a stray lock of hair behind my ear and whispered, "The week will go by so slow without you Bella."

I smiled and replied, "I agree, we're supposed to come down here on Wednesday for dinner, why don't I ask my dad to have Billy and Jake up to ours and then you can come too and meet him? I want him to like you Sam. He hated Edward, I don't foresee you guys having the same problems he and Edward had but I really want you two to get along."

Sam smiled at me, "Baby I think Charlie and I will get along fine, don't forget to have him call me tomorrow about the work. I'll call you tomorrow night and let you know how everything goes, maybe Wednesday if the dinner goes well you can come down to my house for a while and we can hang out."

I nodded, "I'd like that Sam. I'll talk to you tomorrow?"

He nodded and kissed me again, fast and hard then loped back toward the yard calling for Jake. I got in the truck and drove home, when I got back to the house I left a note on the white board with Sam's number letting Charlie know to call. I made my way upstairs and got ready for bed in a daze, the second my head touched the pillow I drifted off into wonderful dreams of the kiss I had shared with Sam. I really hoped that dinner went well on Wednesday.


	8. Sometimes you have to be mean

**A/N: Stephanie Meyer owns Twilight. Don't sue me!**

****Sam POV. The next morning****

I get home from patrol and I'm exhausted, I had spent all night training up Embry and Jake. We had patrolled through La Push, and up into Forks. I took them up to Bella's because I wanted them to smell the Cullen stink before it dissipated. We got lucky and cornered a lone vamp in the woods by La Push, a human drinker that we promptly ripped to shreds and burned.

I say we were lucky because it gave both Embry and Jake a chance to learn the subtle difference between an animal drinker and a human drinker. The rest of the night was uneventful the human drinking leach had been the only sighting in days so I declared what amounted to a day off for us, each wolf would phase every few hours take a lap to make sure nothing was up and then go back to their day.

I didn't have any jobs planned till about 3 pm so after a quick shower I turned my ringer on my cell up all the way so that if Bella's dad called I wouldn't miss him and promptly fell asleep remembering the way that Bella had felt wrapped around me by her truck last night.

I was jolted out of sleep by the blaring of my Nonpoint ring tone, I jumped up and grabbed the phone, seeing a number I didn't recognize I shook my head to clear the cobwebs, and hoped that I sounded alert and oriented as I answered in business mode, "Uley Construction, this is Sam, how can I help you?"

A man answers, "Hey Sam, this is Charlie Swan my daughter passed along your number said you could take a job around our house?"

"Hey Chief Swan, yeah Bella mentioned you had a front window you needed fixed. I can come down this evening to take a look at it if you want? I'll give you an estimate then, it shouldn't be too much. I wouldn't charge you for the labor, just the glass and other materials"

He made a considering noise, "Please call me Charlie, Sam. Why wouldn't you charge me labor? I mean don't get me wrong I appreciate the break but you deserve to be paid for your time, this is your job after all."

Crap, "Well it's just that I wouldn't feel right charging you for the time Charlie. Look at it as I'm not really taking a job, I'm doing a favor for a friend."

"Okay, well I'll be home from work around 8:30, Bella should be home from work around then too so if you want to come by and take a look at it that'll be fine" I told him I'd be there and we hung up.

I checked the clock and it was almost 2, time to get up and ready to go do the other jobs I had lined up today, most of them were small, a broken window here, a busted water heater there. Making my way through the day, eager to see Bella later, I left my 3-oclock job at around 4, took the truck over to Billy's and checked in on Jake and Embry, they had taken their round and were now in Jake's garage working on his car, "hey guys, everything good?"

They both nodded at me, Embry saying "yeah Sam everything's cool, Quil is looking pretty rough today though, Jared said he'd keep an eye on him and let you know if he phases but that he thinks it'll be at early next week at the earliest."

I nod, "sounds about right, Jared usually has a good handle on these things, the only reason we were so off with you Jake was we didn't factor in your reaction to both Embry and Bella, thankfully Quil isn't so temperamental"

I laugh and head over to the Clearwater's, their broken dishwasher my 4:30 appointment. I knock on the door and Leah answers, "Hey Sam, I trust you remember where the kitchen is"

I nod and head on back. As I'm assessing the problem she comes into the kitchen, "So is there anything you want to tell me?"

I fiddle with the hose to see if the connection is the issue but see no problems there and reply, "no, not really… if you have something to say Leah just go ahead and say it, games don't suit you."

She leans against the counter, "my dad told me about your _imprint_"

Christ. I thought she was past this, but the way she sneers the word imprint is not boding well for me. I stay quiet and fiddle with the tubes and buttons till I find the problem, "it's a faulty switch that's causing your problems, I'll replace it with one I have in the truck."

She gapes at me, "_SERIOUSLY? _That's what you have to say to me? You have nothing to say about you imprinting? You couldn't even tell me yourself? You had my FATHER do it? Seriously Sam, I never thought you were a spineless coward."

The screwdriver I was holding bent as my hands clenched into fists, "Did you ever think that I didn't tell you because it wasn't your business? I didn't ask Harry to tell you Leah, and frankly I'm a little annoyed that he did. God, Leah we have the weakest excuse of a friendship, but I thought we _were _friends. I've let go of you. You _claim _to have let go of me, but obviously you haven't and I'm sorry Leah. I'm sorry I caused you pain but you have to stop this! You have to let go. Don't you _want _to be _happy_?"

A tear trickles down her face and she looks into my eyes, "I **wanted **to be **happy** with **YOU!" **

Shit, I wanted to be kind to her, to tell her that I regretted it and that I wanted her too, but I couldn't lie to her, any want I may have harbored for her was gone the moment I imprinted. I honestly believe that without the imprint the moment I met Bella and started to get to know her that all the regrets about Leah would have faded.

She had to face facts, "Leah, we've been over for 2 years now. You've been dating George for the last 8 months or so. If you can't commit to him and give him your whole heart than you're no better than I would have been by staying with you knowing about the possibility of the imprint. I'm sorry you got hurt, you have to believe that it hurt me to do it. I had no choice! Even if I had HAD a choice it would have been the same! I never could or would have held onto you knowing that in the end I would lose you, and worse, that I would shatter you by leaving you for another.

I'm sorry you can't see it but I did what I did not to hurt you but to help you! I did it so that maybe by the time I did imprint it wouldn't pain you to see me be happy with someone else, that maybe you would have found someone you could love more than you had ever loved me. And who in return, would love you so much better than I ever would have been capable of!

I'm sorry that you're hurt, and I'm sorry that you're in pain over this but it's over Leah, it's BEEN over. You need to face that! For Christ's sake, I'm not the man you are meant to be with! If I were then I would have imprinted on you! Don't you see that?"

I went out to the truck to grab the switch and when I went back inside the house I could hear music blaring from her room, that emo crap she loved. I switched the bad part out, installed the good part and left a bill for Sue with a note asking her to just mail me a check or to have Harry settle up with me when I saw him at the council meeting next week.

I drove the truck back to my house feeling like shit over the scene with Leah. As much as I had ever loved her, that girl knew how to drive me insane and make me feel like a heel like no one else. She knew every button to push, and she delighted in pushing every single one of them. I try to push it out of my head; dwelling on it isn't going to change it.

Leah will be Leah until the day she dies; I can't change her. I realize that as much as I had tried to make a friend of her that it just wasn't possible. I would have to really leave her life completely, in the end that would probably be best for her. I parked the truck in the driveway left my shirt in the living room and sent Bella a text, '_Hey baby, I'm going to be by your house to look at the door for your Dad tonight around 8:30. Can't wait to see you. Xx-Sam' _before heading out the back leaving my shorts by the door, running into the woods and phasing.

Paul was phased too '_Hey Sam, what's going on?' _I ran toward where he was and we started the rounds, _'Nothing much going on, I had a run in with Leah, but other than that boring day' _

I had flashed the whole argument and Paul grunted, _'That sucks man, I don't get that girl. My cousin George loves her more than anything but she only ever gives him half of herself. She's going to end up alone before too much longer if she doesn't let you go and really give him all of her'_

I nodded, _'I can't blame him for that, 8 months is a long time to only have half of the person you love. I'm going to need you and Jared to take over the jobs at Harry and Sue's though when we get them. I have to take myself completely out of her equation. I won't let her keep going on this way with me and possibly fucking things up with Bella.' _

He agreed that was probably best and we took one last sweep up north toward Forks I passed by Bella's happy that the leach stink was finally starting to fade from her yard, not catching anything new or off we headed back to the Res and phased back in my yard. I grabbed my shorts off the porch while Paul pulled his on in the tree line and we went inside.

I checked my phone to see a return text from Bella, '_Sounds good Babe, work is slow, if you have some time maybe you could stop by' _hrm…I have time. I told Paul to go ahead and make himself at home but not to smoke my good shit till I got back. I hopped in the truck and headed toward Forks and the sporting goods store.

****Bella POV Newton's Store****

I got to work and clocked in at 4, my dad had called to let me know that Sam was going to stop by to give him an estimate tonight so at least I had that to look forward to. School had dragged, it had taken all my self-control to not text Sam all day but I didn't want him to think I was clingy like that. Fuck I _wasn't_ clingy like that! I chalked it up to the imprint and shrugged it off while signing myself into the cash register.

I realized I didn't really know all that much about what the imprint meant other than that Sam was my forever guy, we'd have to talk about that when we had some time alone, I hadn't wanted to ask a lot of questions with Billy and Jake there because I felt like it should just be between Sam and I. I had about an hour to be comfortable before Mike came in for his closing shift. Apparently he and Jess had split again and I was once again #1 on his fantasy list or something. Gag! Mike was nice and all but he just couldn't compete with Sam.

I had avoided him for most of the day until gym, he had cornered me but just as he was about to ask me out the teachers announced that we weren't having a co-ed class today but that the boys were going outside to play flag football and the girls were going to stay inside and do a kickboxing video. I was really surprised when I loved the activity and made a mental note to join a class in Port Angeles if I could find one, I knew I wouldn't find one in Forks.

Promptly at 5 Mike came in, Mrs. Newton had taken the front register over and I had been doing inventory in the back for a while when my phone vibrated in my pocket, I took it out and read the message, _'Hey baby, I'm going to be by your house to look at the door for your Dad tonight around 8:30. Can't wait to see you. Xx-Sam' _

I smiled and sent a reply back, _'Sounds good Babe, work is slow, if you have some time maybe you could stop by' _I didn't hear back from him so I assumed he was on a job and went back to doing inventory. It was around 6:30 when Mike cornered me, that boy has radar I swear he always found me no matter how deep or where I was in the store.

I honestly think that maybe he has some sort of gps thing on my apron as he comes up behind me and says, "Hey Bella"

I groaned inwardly, "Hey Mike, isn't your mom waiting for you to take over the register? It's your night to close right?"

He replies, "Yeah but she won't mind waiting a couple of minutes, I've been trying to get a chance to ask you all day but I haven't been able to catch up with you, I was just wondering"

I cut him off, "No Mike."

He looked at me confused, "you don't even know what I'm going to ask you yet."

I rolled my eyes because my patience was wearing thin, I didn't like to be a bitch but it seemed like Mike was never going to get the hint if I stayed subtle, "Well I'm guessing that since you and Jess broke up again that you're going to ask me out, again."

I paused for emphasis, "Am I wrong? If I am then I apologize and we can get back to work."

He smiled what I guess he assumed was a winning smile, "Well no, you're not wrong. I know you and Cullen split before he moved so what's the problem?"

I rolled my eyes again, "The problem is that I don't like you like that Mike. I'm sorry but I'm already seeing someone else."

He narrowed his eyes at me and for a second I was actually scared, "You don't have to be a bitch about it Bella, the simple 'no' would have sufficed"

I laughed, "Mike from the moment I moved here the only time you have stopped asking me out was when you were with Jess. My answer is ALWAYS going to be the same, if you want to be friends then that's fine but I don't want to go out with you. I'm sorry that you think I'm being a bitch but at this point I feel like I have no other option."

He pouted at me as I took my clipboard and went back up front.

He signed himself into the register and his mom said goodnight and left. I was sitting on the stool behind the counter and he was at the register when he started up again, "So who are you dating now Bella?"

I rolled my eyes at him because the way he said it I could tell he didn't believe I was actually seeing anyone, "You probably wouldn't know him, he's from La Push"

Mike actually snorted at me, "Ok, wait, it's not that Jake kid from the trip last year is it? Seriously? Isn't he like a scrawny 16 yr old kid?"

I laughed, "Obviously you haven't seen Jake lately if you think he's scrawny but no, that's not who it is"

At that moment the bell at the front of the store rang and in walked the 6'6 muscular god that was Sam, he smirked at Mike who looked like he was going to keel over and I called out to him, "Speak of the Devil and he shall appear! Hey Baby!"

Sam smiled at and came over to the counter as I came out from behind it to meet him, he pushed an errant strand of hair that had fallen out of my ponytail behind my ear and said, "So, I'm the Devil am I? And why Miss Swan were you talking about me?"

I laughed as he pulled me against him and kissed me breathless, when I had regained the power of speech I said, "I was just telling Mike here that we had recently started dating."

He caught on quick I had to give him that, he looked at Mike who was gawping at us like we were a different species and connected the dots in an instant, he smiled but there was nothing kind in that smile, it was predatory.

He walked over to where Mike stood behind the counter and held his hand out, "I'm Sam, Bella's boyfriend, it's nice to meet you"

Mike took his hand and I could see by the way his knuckles turned white that he was squeezing Sam's hand as hard as he could, Sam just chuckled before returning the favor although I'm sure if he had squeezed as hard as _he _could that Mikes hand would have been shattered. Mike let out a pained squeal and Sam said, "oops, I'm so sorry I must just not know my own strength"

I laughed and Mike glared at me as he said, "Bella it's slow why don't you and your friend head out, and don't bother coming in on Thursday"

I gaped at him, "Mike are you firing me?" Sam cut in, "Now wait just a damn minute! Why the hell are you taking out your hurt pride on her?"

I cut him off, "No Sam, it's fine, I'll talk to his mother tomorrow and if she agrees with Mike then that's that. Honestly this isn't the only job in town. It might be the only one that doesn't involve waiting tables but fuck it I'd rather serve people than take his bullshit anymore!"

I threw my apron on the counter, "Seriously Mike I saw how hard you were squeezing Sam's hand you're just lucky that he's so much stronger than you are that you didn't do any damage. I'll see you in school I guess you fucking dick"

I grabbed my purse and jacket from behind the counter and stormed out to the truck, Sam hopped in the passenger seat and wrapped his arm around me while I fumed. He didn't talk; he just rubbed my back and made soothing humming noises until my adrenaline spike wore off.

When I calmed down enough to talk I looked at my watch to see that it was about 7:15, "Hey, why don't you follow me back to my house, you can take a look at the door and we can hang until Dad gets home."

He gave me a light kiss, "sounds great Baby, you sure the chief will be ok with it though?"

I laughed, "as long as we stay downstairs, the lights stay on and no clothes come off I think we should be fine. It'll give me time to cook something too which will be a surprise for him since Tuesday is usually leftover night cause I usually work."

He smiled again opening the door as he said, "I'll do my best to behave babe, I think as long as you're cooking I'll be able to control myself"

He hopped out of the truck and went over and started up his own. I pulled out of the lot with Sam behind me and headed back to the house.

**A/N: Mike always struck me as such a douche, no matter how many times he asked her answer was always the same, it's like take a hint! As we see Leah hasn't let go as much as Sam initially believed but hopefully she gets her act together before Paul's cousin decides to dump her.**


	9. Charlie really is observant, who knew

**A/N: Stephanie Meyer owns all things Twilight. Thank you all for reading!**

****Bella POV****

I unlock the front door and wait for Sam to come up to the porch, I head inside and he starts examining the front door. I wander into the kitchen and start looking at the ingredients I have to work with. I decide on pasta with alfredo sauce and take out what I'll need to make that before wandering back over by the door and asking, "Pasta with alfredo sauce ok with you Sam? You don't have any food allergies or anything do you?"

He smirks at me as he answers, "that sounds great B, and no I have no food allergies or sensitivities that you have to worry about, just with the wolf thing I have to warn you that I eat a lot, like 3x what a normal man eats."

I nod and go back to the kitchen and take out two of my larger pots. I put water on to boil as Sam shuts the door and comes in to sit at the table.

"Is there anything I can help with?" he asks.

I shake my head and sit down across from him, "Nah, Alfredo sauce is easy, cream, butter, cheese, and spices done. If you don't mind I actually have some questions about the imprint that I wanted to ask before my dad comes home, we haven't been alone before for me to ask you"

He nods, "Sure, ask me anything and then if there's something we haven't touched on with your questions I'll tell you."

I check the water to see if it's boiling but it's only just starting to get hot so I have some time yet, "Well what does the imprint do, exactly? I get that it makes us feel drawn to each other but does it take away our will? Like if we had known each other and really hated each other, what would have happened?"

He looked at me thoughtfully, "You know, I never even stopped to consider that possibility. I honestly don't know what would happen in a situation like that but in some ways yes, imprinting does take away our free will. I had been with a girl when I was in high school as Jake told you, Leah Clearwater. We were together for a long time and I loved her very much. When I phased there was no one to help me, I was the first, which is also why I'm Alpha.

Old Quil figured it out first about a month after I disappeared and told Harry and Billy. Billy and Harry started coming to the edge of the woods and calling for me. I went to them and they told me how to phase back. I finally did and they told me what was going on, and about imprinting. I was convinced that I would imprint on Leah, that there couldn't possibly be someone out there that was better for me than her.

Harry told me that I could see her and that if I did imprint I could tell her everything, but that if I didn't I had to let her go, to save her from me eventually leaving her for another. I went to her, and when I didn't imprint I felt like my life was over. I ended it and she said some hateful things, she compared me to my father and I lost it. I phased in front of her, thank God Sue had come out and was in the process of dragging her back inside when I did or she would probably have been badly hurt. Harry explained everything to her about what was going on and she accepted it but not very gracefully.

We both hurt over it but it was the right thing. So in a way yes imprinting did take my free will, but any qualms I may have had about it disappeared when I met you. I honestly believe that even if there was no imprinting I would have found you Bella, and I would have done anything at all to be in your life. So in that perspective I don't think imprinting necessarily took anything from me.

When I imprinted on you it just pointed you out it doesn't make me feel like we have to rush into anything. We can take our time and let our feelings grow naturally."

During his speech the water had started to simmer which was my cue to start the sauce, as I added things to the pot and mixed them together I listened to his story. I couldn't imagine the pain he had gone through, having loved his girlfriend for so long only to find out that she was not meant to be his. "I understand what you mean, that night at the bonfire I didn't feel some spontaneous urge to marry you or anything, or even to jump into bed with you, I just felt like I had to _know _you. Like I had to be in your life."

I pulled out 3 boxes of fettuccini noodles and poured them out into the boiling water and set the timer for 10 minutes, "What is the reason for the imprint Sam? Why does it happen?"

He again looked thoughtful, "Well Harry thinks it is in part a biological imperative, and partly to truly find the one who is perfect for you as a man, the wolves who phased in the older packs, they were older. Some of them were married and had children, and some were not married at all. Only 1 of the ones who was married imprinted on someone else, he was the only one who had no children with his wife. The ones who weren't married 2 had steady girls and 1 of them imprinted on someone else, the ones who didn't have women in their lives all imprinted.

Since we are younger men and none of us have children and most of us didn't even have girlfriends Harry believes we will all imprint. He believes that the wolves who didn't imprint after phasing had already chosen the right mate and thus didn't need the imprint."

I was about to ask another question when he tilted his head to the side and said, "Charlie's home"

I busied myself stirring the pots on the stove. The door opened and Charlie called out, "Bells?"

I called back, "in the kitchen Dad!"

He came in and looked at the food cooking, "what's all this?"

I strained the pasta put it in a huge serving dish and poured the sauce over top of it before setting it on the table and getting out 3 dishes while Charlie grabbed forks and spoons from the drawer. "Hey Dad, this is Sam Uley, Sam, this is my Dad, Charlie Swan"

Dad put the forks and stuff down and Sam stood up and shook his hand, "Chief Swan, it's really great to meet you."

Charlie smiled, "please Sam, call me Charlie. Bells I thought you worked tonight?"

I swallowed hard, "Well, Dad, Sam stopped by Newton's to see me tonight. I asked him to stop by, I wasn't counting on Mike having his panties in a twist because I shot him down for what was probably the eight hundredth time in the last two years. Mike had just been grilling me about who I was seeing and I was starting to tell him about Sam when he walked in.

We said hello and Sam introduced himself to Mike who took it upon himself to try to break Sam's hand, seriously Dad, his knuckles were white he was squeezing so hard. Obviously it didn't affect Sam at all; it just annoyed him. So he squeezed Mike's hand back not hard enough to do any real damage but enough to make him squeal like a bitch. I laughed and Mike told me it was slow and that Sam and I should go and that I shouldn't bother coming in on Thursday. He fired me Dad."

I watched as Charlie's face turned red and then progressed to purple, "That little bastard! Whatever Bells, you don't need that place. When Mrs. Newton calls and begs you to come back you make sure you tell her I said I don't want you working with that little creep. Boy needs to learn to take 'no' for an answer. If he bothers you at school Bella you tell me and I'll take care of it"

I went over and hugged him hard and we all sat down at the table I grabbed a plate and put a large serving of pasta on it and handed it to Sam and then made one up for Charlie before making my own plate and sitting down. Charlie looked between Sam and me "So you guys are getting to be good friends?"

I sputtered a bit but Sam broke in, "Actually Chief Swan, Bella and I are seeing each other, romantically."

Charlie actually smiled, "Well Sam I appreciate you being up front with me about it. I have to say that when Bella first mentioned you after meeting you at the bonfire I knew something was going on. Bella is not usually one to tell me a lot about her evening so when she got in the car and actually mentioned you and how nice you were I knew something was up. I asked Billy about you and he told me that you are on the Quileute council. He had nothing but good things to say about you, and that goes double for Harry Clearwater.

I know you used to date Leah so I admit I went to Harry looking for some dirt after all the good things Billy had to say, Harry told me that I couldn't ask for a better man to take care of my Bells. Said that you never treated Leah with anything less than love and respect, even when your relationship ended, and that you would do right by my girl."

My head was spinning, I couldn't believe that Dad had talked to Billy and Harry about Sam, but I couldn't blame him for being curious about the guy I seemed to show so much interest in. Although the first night I'd been a bit buzzed so my gushing was partly attributed to that which Sam would know but Dad obviously wouldn't.

Sam looked almost like he could cry, it was shocking to see so much emotion on his face he smiled and said, "Thank you Charlie for telling me those things, it means a lot to me that Harry would say those things, my own father wasn't around when I was growing up and I always thought of Harry as a father figure it's nice to know that he's proud of the man I have become. I can promise you that I will never take Bella for granted or try to make her into someone else the way that Cullen did. I have a lot of respect for who she is as a person, she is a strong woman and I wouldn't want her any other way"

Charlie's eyes shone, "Thank you Sam, I'm very proud of her. Now, enough of this sentimental stuff! Did you get a chance to look at the door?"

Sam finished off his first plate and served himself another as he said, "Yes, sir. It shouldn't take me more than an hour or two to fix it but you're going to have to go real easy closing it for the couple days after so that the glue sets up right, I wish there was an easier way to do it but unfortunately short of replacing the entire door there isn't. I can take the measurements tonight and pick up the replacement pane tomorrow and install it tomorrow night if you'd like. Bella asked me to come up to have dinner with you and the Black's tomorrow if that's okay with you"

Charlie nodded, "That's fine, son, glad to have you. Now the replacement pane, how much do you think that'll cost?"

Sam thought for a moment, "since for a front door you need all weather glass it'll be a bit more costly than your average glass sheet, I'd say based on the size it'd be about $75.00. I get a contractor discount though so take that down to $50.00 other materials should take it to $70 even."

Charlie nodded, "that sounds fine, are you sure I can't pay you for your time, Son?"

Sam shook his head, "No, sir. I wouldn't feel right taking money for my time when chances are I'd be here anyway to spend time with Bella."

I smiled at him, "that's really nice of you Sam"

Charlie nodded, "it really is, thanks. So uh, Harry mentioned that you live alone Sam?"

Sam shrugged, "Yeah, my dad ran off when I was like 5, hasn't been seen or heard from since. My mom was in a car accident shortly after I turned 19 and passed away, she had enough life insurance for me to buy the house outright and I had enough leftover that with my savings I was able to get my contractors license and start the business."

Charlie looked impressed and I put a hand on Sam's arm, "Well I can see you're really responsible and mature for your age Sam, not many kids could go through that kind of loss and come through the other side stable and secure. I just wanted to remind you both that while Bella is 18 and technically an adult, she is still in high school and she still lives under my roof, which means I make the rules.

No matter how responsible you are Sam she's my baby and she's my first priority, this means that while you're in my house I would appreciate you guys staying on the first floor. If there's something that you absolutely must do in Bella's room, like use the computer, the door stays open, no exceptions. Bella just because he lives alone it doesn't mean you can be there 24/7, I expect you at home in your own room every night that you have school the following morning. If you are hanging out there on a Friday or Saturday you can feel free to stay there if it gets too late or you just don't want to drive home for any reason.

I'm not naïve you guys, you're going to do what you want to do whether I give you a blessing or not, and make sure you know that I most certainly am not but like I said, I wasn't born yesterday. Bella these freedoms are given with a couple of conditions, if your schoolwork begins to suffer I will seriously readjust the situation, so keep your grades up. If either of you ever gets a dui or dwi it will be the last time you're allowed to be unsupervised until you are out of my house Bella.

I didn't make a big deal about the joint I know you were smoking with the guys at the bonfire, or about the beer that you drank that night because I was driving you home. So if you're going to do that stuff make sure you are staying put. Sam, I promise you that if I ever see her seriously inebriated it will be the last time you see her until both of you have gone through a treatment program, do I make myself clear?"

I think you could hear a pin drop as Charlie got to the end of his speech. It was so much craziness to take in. Charlie knew I smoked pot. Charlie knew I drank. Charlie just gave me permission to sleep at Sam's house on weekends. Charlie Swan, my dad, Chief of police! Just gave me permission to smoke weed and drink at my boyfriend's house on weekends as long as neither of us were driving.

Sam just stared at my dad in shock; finally he cleared his throat, "crystal clear sir. I just want to thank you for the trust you are showing Bella and I, I promise you that we will not let you down and you will not regret this"

I let out a breath I hadn't known I was holding and said, "Yeah Dad, thanks. It means a lot that you trust us to be responsible. I promise I'll keep my grades up and that you will never see me behind the wheel or anywhere falling down drunk or so high I can't think. I promise you won't regret this"

he nodded at us and we all finished up our plates, I cleaned up while Dad went with Sam to watch him take the measurements for the glass.

I was doing the dishes when Dad called out, "I'm going up to bed Bella, night Kiddo"

I called back, "g'night Dad"

I listened as he went upstairs and went back to the dishes, 5 minutes later hot muscular arms wrapped around my waist. I leaned back against his chest breathing in his scent, he smelled like cologne but not one that I recognized, it was woodsy but crisp, and very masculine. I could feel his nose in my hair and realized he was smelling me the same way I was smelling him.

I wondered what he thought I smelled like but pushed it back for another day. "So does the imprint do anything else Sam?"

He kissed the top of my head and held me close, "Well as far as we can tell an imprint will age slower once they have met their wolf, we don't age as long as we keep phasing so once you girls meet us the imprint slows your aging so that you never really get ahead of us. Umm, down the line if we decide to get married you'll have to decide if you want me to mark you or not."

I turned in his arms so I was facing him, "what do you mean mark me?"

He looked nervous, "The mark is basically the way the wolf claims you as his mate, if you didn't want to have a traditional legal non native ceremony and well we can't have the traditional Quileute tribal wedding because you're not native when I mark you that's good enough for the council to make you part of the tribe by marriage."

I frowned as I replied, "I didn't realize that you would have to give up your native ceremony for me, I'm sorry Sam"

He smiled, "It honestly was never something I worried about B, don't get yourself upset for nothing, I don't have any family to come to it anyway other than the Elders, the Packs and their families so really not having it is really not a problem trust me"

I kissed him lightly feeling the tingle again, "So how does the mark occur? I mean you don't like have to pee on me or anything do you?"

He looked nervous again and this time I got nervous, "No it's not really gross it's just kind of hard to say. I have to bite you Bella, while we're having sex and I have to be doing you from behind. You don't have to be marked, if you decide not to it just means that you and any of our children will not be considered as part of the tribe.

With the mark as long as I phase you will age slower than even with the imprint, but I will start to slowly age as well, it will basically put us at the same place and maintain our aging at a consistent rate. The mark makes it so that I can sense you even more than I already can, and it allows for you to sense me. It will be a permanent scar, it will smell like me, and it will be very sensitive to my touch. The mark makes it so that you will only be able to bear my children, but it also makes it so that you and all our children are counted as members of the tribe."

I lay my face on Sam's chest and thought about all he had just said, it didn't really freak me out well all except the only bearing his children part. Not that I'd want to have someone else's, it was just the thought of how my body could possibly tell the difference. I wrapped my arms around his neck and hoisted myself up so that my legs were wrapped around his waist and I was sitting on the counter.

I looked into his eyes, "Honestly Sam when the time comes I think that I would very much like for you to mark me, but that's not going to be anytime soon right?"

He smiled at me; he looked really happy, I was glad I could do that for him. He replied, "No B, it won't be for a long time, at the very least after your graduation from high school, and not until you are absolutely sure that _you_ are ready for it"

I kissed him passionately, it was hot and hard, he nipped my lip and I gasped as I opened my mouth and his tongue met mine, I gently nipped his tongue and then sucked on it for a second, he helped me off the counter so I was standing on the tile and stepped back from me gasping. I was breathing heavy, I knew we had to stop, it was getting late and it was a school night, and I wasn't ready for that.

Shit, I had to tell him. "Sam…"

I stopped, "yeah Bella?"

I sighed, "umm I really like you, I want you to know that. I don't really have a lot of experience beyond kissing, I'm not ready to go very far yet."

I chanced to look up at Sam and found him outright beaming at me. "So, you've never?"

I shook my head, "no, I had a few boyfriends in Phoenix but it never really went beyond second base, kissing and some touching. With Edward we never even got to second, he would kiss me but never for long or with any passion. He had very specific ideas on what was and wasn't appropriate"

Sam smiled at me, "Bella whatever you did with guys back in Phoenix really isn't my business, and honestly even what you did with Edward isn't my business but I can't tell you how relieved I am that you didn't do that with him."

Just then the alarm on his watch went off, "shit, it's 10:30 B, Charlie said that's when I have to leave during the week"

He wrapped his arms around me and kissed me, it was sweet and full of good feelings, it made me feel safe and loved but at the same time it made me want to climb him like a tree all over again. Ugh I had a few more things to ask him…ugh. Oh well. I walked him to his truck where he kissed me lightly and promised to call me tomorrow after school. I told him I'd text him when I took my lunch and we'd make a plan for tomorrow night.

We said goodbye and he told me to get my cute ass in the house, I laughed and went inside, I heard him drive off as I locked the door and I headed up to bed. I couldn't wait for tomorrow.


	10. Well, Fuck

**A/N: Stephanie Meyer owns Twilight. I just play with her creation. 10****th**** Chapter woohoo! **

****Bella POV Wednesday after school****

I leave the school in a hurry, I have to go to the grocery store to get the stuff for dinner tonight, Sam is coming over along with Jake and Billy so I need enough food to feed like 10 normal people. Dad and I had talked briefly this morning, I wanted to know what the deal was, why was he being so cool? Not that I didn't appreciate it I just wanted to know what was up. It's not that I ever really thought my dad was unobservant but I had watched him leave the bonfire and I had never given him a reason to distrust me so the thought that he might have circled around to spy on me kind of pissed me off.

I asked him what the deal was he said that one of the deputies saw us and called it in to him. Then he made an excuse and said he'd talk with me about it during dinner and that he had to go. It was frustrating; I figure he's dodging because he thinks I won't ask again in front of Billy, Sam, and Jake. Well he's wrong on that front.

At the grocery store I hurry through the aisles, I figure that with the way Sam and Jake eat that if I don't want to blow my whole bank account the best thing to fix was fish, I'd taken almost Dad's entire stock out of the freezer and the only things I had to pick up were the ingredients for the batter, oil to fry the fish in and stuff to serve on the side.

I was making my way up to the register not paying attention when I crashed into something, _way to go Bella, just great._ I looked up to see a cart being pushed by a very annoyed looking Leah Clearwater. _Shit._ Leah and I had been friendly when we were little kids because we both played with Billy's daughters and I knew from experience that her temper could be legendary.

She smirked at me, "Same old Bella, how're you doing girl?"

I smiled, thankful that she didn't seem pissed, "Hey Leah, I'm pretty good, how are you?"

She frowns before replying, "Eh, I'm okay, had kind of a rough week but for the most part things are good. We should catch up, Bella. I'm looking to spend some time out of La Push and it's been a long time since we've spent any time together."

Now I'm confused… Leah and I were never really that close, I know Sam said they had remained friendly but he also said that she was pretty upset about the imprint so why is she looking to spend time with me?

I go for the obvious question, "what's going on in La Push that you want to stay away from?"

Her face falls a little like she wishes I hadn't asked, "Well my boyfriend and I are having problems because my ex started dating someone else and it upset me that he was seeing someone and I really don't want to have to watch him go around town with her so since they'll be down there I figure I'll try not to be for a while."

It finally hits me; she doesn't know I'm Sam's imprint. _I'm so fucked!_ If I tell her here she's going to throw the biggest fucking fit. She obviously assumes that his imprint is Quileute so that's why she figures I'm safe. But if I don't tell her and I let her believe that it's someone else then when she finds out she'll throw an even bigger fit than she would now. She's saying something, "…doing tonight?"

I shake my head, "what?"

She looks at me like maybe I'm retarded, "I said what are you doing tonight? Are you feeling okay? You look a little sick."

I bet I do… "I'm okay. Umm look Leah this is really awkward, but I'm actually cooking dinner tonight for my dad, Billy, Jake, and uh,…"

I barely whisper Sam's name but by the look on her face she caught it. She looks livid, _"_I'm sorry, _who did you say?_"

Why am I cowering? She's just Leah Clearwater, I whooped her ass when we were kids and I can still whoop her ass. I haven't done anything wrong and neither has Sam. I understand her not being happy about it but she has a boyfriend, and her and Sam have been over for more than two _years!_ I look her in the eye this time and my voice is clear, "I said Sam, Leah. Look I know you two have history but you've been over for years, you have no right to be angry about him finding someone new when you're also seeing someone. Frankly if I was your new guy I'd be pissed too to be living in the shadow of your ex that you haven't been with for 2 years."

She comes around the cart and gets in my face, "What the _fuck _did you just say to me, bitch? You know something Bella; you can go fuck yourself. Does it make you happy to know that he was with me by choice and that he's only with you because of some supernatural bullshit? Take that to heart bitch, without the imprint, Sam would never have looked twice at you."

I laugh at her, and then I stare her in the eye and say in a deadly calm voice "But he did choose me, Leah. What's more, fate chose me. Sam did choose, Leah, he chose to leave you when he didn't imprint on you. He chose to let you go. He might not have chosen to imprint on me but he chose to get to know me after he did, he chose to start a relationship with me.

We're together; he's with me, forever. I'm sorry if you hurt over it but you have someone else. I honestly don't understand why you're doing this! Do you think by getting in my face that you're going to win points with him? Do you think that by clinging to something that is done and over with you're doing yourself or your new relationship any favors? Move on. Now, I suggest that you get out of my face before one of us does something that we'll regret later on. I kicked your ass when we were kids; don't think I won't do it again if you push me into it."

I continued to stare at her until she got her cart and walked away. I let out a long sigh took my cart and went up front to pay.

I get home and I'm fuming, until I get to the porch and see Sam working on the door, he's wearing cut off shorts and no shirt. My heartbeat picks up and he turns to look at me, he smiles, "Hey Baby."

He takes the bags out of my hands kisses me on the cheek, and heads into the kitchen. He puts the bags on the counter and I start emptying them. He goes back to the door and I start working on the food. I'm de-boning the first fish when I hear his cell phone ring, "Hello?"

I hear him talking to someone but I can't make out what he's saying until the end, his voice raises and he tells whoever it is "I'll take care of it!"

He comes into the kitchen snapping his phone shut. He sits at the table and looks at me and I can see that he's upset, "What's wrong, Sam?"

He's rubbing his forehead with his hands and refusing to look at me, "That was Harry, Bella. Do you want to tell me what happened at the supermarket? Why Leah got home in tears, screaming about you throwing the imprint in her face and threatening to beat her ass?"

I stare at him in total silence for what feels like an hour but is probably closer to 3 minutes before I lose it, "ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME? She's seriously saying I said that to her without any provocation?"

Sam cuts me off, "what the fuck Bella? What could she possibly have said to you to deserve that?"

That stops me cold in my tracks, "I'm sorry? Are you really taking your ex girlfriends side without even hearing mine?"

He sighs with frustration, "Bella, whatever she said to you, using the imprint as a weapon is wrong, you should apologize"

I have officially lost the power of speech. I lean against the counter looking at him and all I feel is anger and disgust. "I think you need to finish the work you're doing and leave Sam. Maybe we'll talk later in the week when I've had some time to calm down, I can't be around you right now. By the way, she told me that she hoped it made me happy to know that you were with her by your own free will and that you were only with me because of the imprint. That without it, you wouldn't have looked twice at me. Whatever though, who cares how I feel right? Honestly you can go to hell if you think I'll apologize to that bitch!"

He looks shocked as he vaults out of the chair and wraps his arms around me. I stand there passively until he lets me go because I know he is far too strong for me to be able to push him away. He gently grabs my chin trying to tilt my face up to look at his and I turn my head away from him, "No! You need to go! If you're done fixing the window then just fucking leave!"

I throw the knife into the sink and run up the steps to my room and slam the door locking it behind me. What the fuck kind of person does he think I am? I know he doesn't really know me inside and out but I thought he at least would have known that I could never have been that vindictive to search out his ex and gloat about having him.

I lay on my bed and text Charlie, '_Dad, I can't cook tonight, would you mind bringing pizza home? It'll just be me you Billy and Jake. Sam got an emergency call and had to go to work, the door is done.' _

I hear the door close and a minute later I hear Sam's truck start up and drive away. My phone signals a text, '_That's fine Bells, pizza sounds good to me.' _

At least that's one thing I don't have to worry about. I put my phone down and roll over. I stare at the window trying not to cry. I didn't do anything wrong! I stood up for myself, that's all. That fucking bitch! Soon enough the anger fades and I let the tears leak down my face hoping that by the time Dad gets home and the Black's get here that I'll feel better

****Sam POV****

_Fuck!_ I just fucked up huge. I finish the last few things I have to do to fix Bella's front door and I debate for a second staring at the steps before doing what she wants and leaving. I'm so fucking pissed, I'm pissed at Leah but mostly I'm pissed at myself. I should have known that she started the whole thing.

I tap my Bluetooth and call Harry back, "Sam."

I try not to let my voice betray my frustration as I tell him, "Hey, Harry. Look I'm sorry that you had to deal with that when you got home. But Leah is lying. Bella didn't just come up to her out of nowhere and say that shit to her. Leah provoked her, really harshly I might add.

Told her that I had been with her by choice and that I was only with B because of the imprint, that without it I wouldn't have looked at her twice. I don't know what to do here Harry. I've tried to be a friend to Leah but she keeps shoving it back in my face. She can't keep trying to ruin my life like this! I have never gotten involved in her affairs I have never given her false hope that we would get back together, and I have only ever discouraged her when she brought it up"

Harry sighs and when he answers he sounds tired, "I'm sorry Sam. I'll talk to Leah; she needs to let you go. Maybe I should send her up to stay with her cousin for a while, maybe that'll help her to finally move on. I'll see you at the meeting, Son. Tell Bella I'm sorry will you?"

I snort, "if she ever decides to speak to me again I'll pass it along, have a good night."

I hang up as I pull up at home.

There hasn't been any sign of vampires since the one I had killed with Jake and Embry on Monday night so we've been taking it pretty easy, two of us phase in every few hours and run the rounds to be safe. Quil hasn't phased yet but he's grown another couple of inches so it'll definitely be early next week at the latest. I let myself into the house as Jared's truck pulls up and he and Kim get out.

Great, company. "What are you guys doing here?"

Jared answers, "We decided to swing by and see if you and Bella were here, Kim wants to meet her."

I go into my room and grab my bong, it's 18 inches of hand-blown green glass with a glass on glass hitter. I bring it into the living room and set it on the table before I sit down and take my stash out of the side compartment. "She's not here."

Jared catches my mood from the combination of my tone of voice and the fact that I got the bong out. I only use the bong when I want to get really wrecked and forget about life; it's been a while.

He smirks, "You in the doghouse already Sammy?" I growl at him while he laughs at his little joke.

I scowl at him and answer, "If you must know, yeah I am. It's all fucking Leah's fault!"

Jared's eyes light up; he loves drama, "dude what happened?"

Kim speaks up, "what did that bitch do now?"

Leah has never been nice to Kim, it only got worse after Jared imprinted on her. I guess Leah sees her as the physical manifestation of the thing that tore us apart. I sigh and start to pack the bowl as I tell them, "She ran into B at the grocery store and laid into her about the imprint and how I'm not really with her of my own free will and that if I hadn't imprinted I wouldn't have looked at B twice. Of course when she got home, she turned on the waterworks for Harry and told him that Bella sought her out to throw the imprint in her face and gloat that I was with her. Like an idiot I got pissed first and told Bella that using the imprint as a weapon under any circumstance was wrong.

I didn't even ask what Leah said to her, just told her that whatever she said it couldn't have been bad enough to deserve that. I'm a fucking moron; I know just how nasty she can be. So she tells me to leave and then tells me what was said and that MAYBE we can talk later in the week. I mean fuck my life; we were supposed to have dinner with her Dad, Billy, and Jake tonight. Her dad was so cool about us being together when I told him last night, now he's going to fucking hate me."

I grab the lighter and milk the tube up before pulling the bowl and inhaling the smoke. I hold it as long as I can and then start coughing my ass off as Jared laughs.

Kim looks pissed, "that fucking bitch! I'm sorry Sam but that cunt is not going to be happy until she has completely destroyed your life. I would feel sorry for her if she wasn't such a fucking bitch; you guys have been over forever! She's dating Paul's cousin, although probably not for very much longer the way she goes on about you. I hope you told Harry the real truth"

I take another hit before passing the bong to Jared who takes it and hits it much more carefully than I have been. I nod, "I did. It doesn't get me out of Bella's doghouse though, Jared's right about that. She wouldn't even look at me!"

Kim looks at me sympathetically, "I'm sorry Sam, I'm sure she'll come around. Maybe text her tomorrow but don't call her until she calls you, if you crowd her it will just make her madder. When she does call you, you better be prepared to do some serious groveling. And do not skimp when it comes to the I'm sorry gift, seriously find out what her favorite flower is and send her a ton of them, but only AFTER she calls and says she's willing to talk to you."

I put on a movie and we hang out for a few hours and I'm fucking wrecked. The credits start to roll and Kim tells Jared to give her his keys and get ready to go. Kim smokes but only when she and Jared are in for the night, I respect that about her because I think I'd be pissed if I was a chick and had to drive my boyfriends stoned ass all over La Push. I wave at them as they leave, I put one of the small couch pillows under my head and fall asleep.

I wake up in the dark to my phone going off, I look at the ID and see that it's Jake. "Jake? What's up? Is Bella okay? What's going on?"

He scoffs a little as he replies, "Bells is fine Sam, we have to talk though. Didn't you find it odd that Charlie was so accepting of your relationship with Bells? That he was so okay with her sleeping at your place on weekends and the fact that we all smoke a little and drink? Didn't it strike you as funny that the Chief of Police was so cool with the fact that almost all of us at the bonfire were underage? Don't you think it's strange that we all weren't hauled down to the station if he knew what we were doing?"

I blink, "yeah Jake, of course I thought it was weird but I guess when he told me I wasn't really thinking about the why, I was too much in shock I guess. Why? What are you getting at?"

I hear him take a deep breath before he unloads some shit on me that changes everything, "Charlie _knows, _Sam. He knows everything! Even imprinting. Well not everything, he doesn't know that the Cullen's are Vamps. I asked my dad about that on the way home and he said he couldn't betray the treaty by revealing them to a human."

I feel like I'm choking on the open air, I cough and sputter out, "wait, _**WHAT? **_What do you mean he knows?"

I hear Jake suck in a deep breath, "Dad told him. Told him everything shortly after you turned back up after being missing for two months. Said he had to because Charlie thought it was animal attacks that were killing those hunters and that he was dead set on hunting you down, he was going to put traps all over the place. Dad didn't want to take the chance on you getting hurt.

So he sat Charlie down and told him most of the truth, we're werewolves and we protect people from vampires. He said that once Charlie wrapped his head around it that coupled with your disappearance it made sense. After you told the other Elder's about the imprint at the meeting on Monday, Dad called Charlie and broke the news to him. He was a little upset about it at first but mostly he said he was just happy that Cullen was out of the picture for good."

I tried wrapping my head around it, "Jake how did this even come up?"

He laughed, "Bella waited till we were all sitting and eating and she just out of the blue goes 'Dad why are you being so cool about my extra curricular activities? I appreciate it but what gives?' That's when Dad dropped the bomb on us that Charlie knows everything. Bella almost gave the Cullen's away but when she said '_Everything?' _she was looking at Dad and he caught her eye and gave her a look."

I'm beyond stunned, I cough and try to clear my head before saying, "wow…I gotta go Jake, that's a lot to take in. Don't forget you have rounds at 1 and 6 ok? Howl if you need me."

I clean the table off, putting my stash away and bringing the bong back into my room with me. I put it back in its spot and lie down. I wonder how long Bella's going to be pissed at me. I hope not too long, I know I fucked up huge I just hope she will forgive me quick and that we can still go on our date on Friday. My thoughts turn to the revelation of Charlie knowing our secret.

Well, shit, I guess it could be helpful having him know, saves on having to make shit up. It will make Bella's life easier for sure she can be completely honest with him about our relationship. If he understands about the imprint chances are he won't give us crap about moving too fast or anything.

I wonder if Billy told him about marking, I kind of hope so. So that in the future if/when it happens he won't have me arrested for abuse or something. I try to fall asleep but can't so I stare at the ceiling and space just thinking about the fucked up situation I've gotten myself into. I can't even blame Leah although I really want to. Fuck.

**A/N: So I kind of wrote myself into a corner with the last chapter and how cool Charlie was being with everything. I avoided writing all day yesterday because I couldn't figure out how to get out of the corner I'd stuck myself in. It finally hit me that he had to know everything. He knows the stresses that the pack is under so he cuts them slack when they cut loose as long as they aren't driving and nothing is getting out of hand. He knows about the imprint so he understands that it won't just be Sam that hurts if they're kept apart. He knows that Sam is Bella's forever so he trusts him to take care of her and keep her safe even from herself. I kind of feel bad for writing Leah as the crazy ex g/f because most of you who review have told me that you think she's a bitch and want to slap her. And she is a bitch but I feel bad for her because I think she can't help it, like if she could let go of Sam she would but that for whatever reason she isn't able to yet. Don't worry though her shit will resolve itself. Don't forget to leave me some love!**


	11. Leah really is batshit crazy

**A/N: I still don't own Twilight, Stephanie Meyer does. The site is annoying me today, it's not refreshing right. I have 4 reviews for ch. 10 but when I check my traffic it is showing nothing. How could I have reviews for a chapter that no one has read? Doesn't make sense does it?**

****Bella POV****

I wake up the next morning feeling like shit. I'm still beyond pissed at the whole Sam situation. What's really pissing me off is that I want to forgive him so bad! I can't though, not so soon. It really hurt that he thought I could have been capable of hunting down Leah to throw the imprint in her face.

Fuck, now I'm pissed all over again. She needs fucking help, 2 years and she's still acting like this? Christ someone needs to get her a fucking clue. When the guy hasn't been with you for 2 years, and doesn't give a fuck that you're fucking someone else, it usually means he's over you. She better hope I don't run into her anytime soon. I can't believe she went running to Harry and lied about what happened. Bitch.

On top of that drama I found out last night that Dad knows _everything_. I think you could have knocked me over with a feather when Billy put that out there. Apparently Dad had known about the wolves since shortly after Sam came back to La Push. I actually thought it was kind of funny that Dad knew about the imprint before even I did, only by a few hours though.

It was weird though, after Billy and Jake left Dad and I sat down and talked about the imprint. He wanted to make sure Sam wasn't pressuring me to move too fast. I told him that Sam had never pushed me for anything. I ended up telling him what had happened with Leah and he told me that he would talk to Harry about it. He was kind of pissed that Harry thought I would do something like that but he understood that like me and my happiness are his first priority, Leah and her happiness is Harry's.

He understood that I was mad at Sam but thought that I should cut him some slack because he feels like Sam is caught between a rock and a hard place. Harry has been like a father to Sam for most of his formative years. So he's torn by his loyalty to Harry, and his guilt for having had to hurt Leah when he promised Harry that he never would.

Charlie feels like Sam feels that he can't really be as plain with Leah as he really needs to be because of how much respect he has for Harry. I guess I can understand that but at the same time he should have talked to me. He shouldn't have just taken Harry's word that I did some horrible thing to Leah.

It's nice not to have any secrets from my dad, well; he still doesn't know that the Cullen's are vampires. Like Billy though I don't think it's my place to tell him, plus, what would be the point? They're gone. Charlie knocks on my door, "Bells you up?"

I call out, "yeah Dad, what's up?"

He comes into the room and looks at me funny, I ask him, "what?"

He smiles a little, "you look kind of rough Bells, you should call Sam. Billy said that when you guys fight you'll both suffer not just emotionally but physically; it'll make you both weaker. The longer it goes on the worse it will get, and you'll get agitated really easily. I can't have you snapping on kids or getting into fights because you're having werewolf problems"

I gape at him as he busts out laughing, I know he isn't kidding about the side effects of the imprint but it's nice to see him joking because it makes me feel like everything will be just fine, "oh real nice Dad, good joke. I'll probably call him later. I want to forgive him and I think fighting against it is what's making me feel weak."

I reach for my phone and see that I have a text, '_B, I know you said that you need time to cool down. I just want you to know how sorry I am for yesterday. I should have talked with you before I made any judgments. I miss you B, I'll be thinking of you all day. Again, I'm so sorry honey. I should have realized that it was just Leah stirring up trouble as usual. I hope you can forgive me, thinking of you –Xx Sam'. _

My heart melts a little and I decide that as long as he doesn't start texting me off the hook all day I'll call him when school would be out and forgive him. We're off today so that the teachers can set up for parent conferences tonight but I hadn't gotten a chance to tell him that yesterday.

****Sam POV****

I text Bella as I sit in my kitchen having breakfast, a 6-egg cheese omelet with 4 pieces of bacon and 3 sausage links. Mmm protein. I finish up and am doing the dishes when someone knocks at my door. I leave the stuff in the sink turn the water off and grab a dishtowel to dry my hands on the way to the door.

I open it and am stunned speechless for a moment, "What the FUCK are you doing here Leah?"

She's crying and for a split second I feel bad for her. She cries out, "He's sending me away!"

I have no idea what she's talking about, "what the hell are you going on about?"

I haven't moved from the doorway, anything she has to say she's going to say it on my doorstep because there's no fucking way I'm playing this game anymore. She sniffles, "my Dad is sending me up to the Makah reservation to stay with my cousin Emily until at least Christmas. Sam you can't let him do this!"

I gape at her, "are you high? What the fuck do you want me to do about it?"

She throws her arms in the air; "I want you to tell him that you aren't going to listen to him anymore! I want you to come back to me! I know that you didn't leave me because you wanted to. I know that Dad and the council made you leave me to wait for the imprint. If you had wanted to leave me you wouldn't have lived in isolation for the last two years! I know you want to be with me Sam."

I would laugh if this was funny but I seriously think she's completely lost her mind and is going to need a padded room rather than a trip up to the Makah res. I know I'm staring at her in wide eyed shock as I say, "Leah seriously? Are you on crack? I'm going to try to talk slowly and use small words, do me a favor and pay attention. I. Do. Not. Want. You. I really need you to understand what I'm saying here, we are OVER!

We've been over for 2 years! Honestly Leah I'm really starting to worry about your sanity. You think that your father and the other Elders made me leave you? You're wrong! Your father may have made his expectation clear but no one MADE me do anything! I CHOSE to leave you! I left you because I was not the one for you. I left you because you ARE NOT the one for me!

You seriously believe that because I haven't spent the last two years fucking anything with a pulse that it means that I only wanted you this whole time? I was raised to respect women, Leah. I could have banged hundreds of women, but I'm not the guy who fucks a girl and then never calls them again, my name isn't Paul!

I'm going to say this one last time and then I'm closing the door and you have 5 minutes to get the fuck off my porch before I call both your dad and the cops. You and I are OVER. We are NEVER going to be together again. I DON'T WANT YOU. Christ I've been nice about this for the last two years! I've tried to be your friend, I've gotten lost when you told me to hoping it would make your life easier. Well you know what, FUCK YOU! I'm done accommodating you. You need to grow the fuck up and move the fuck ON. Now please, psycho, get the fuck off my porch!"

I slammed the door in her face and hoped that she didn't make me call the cops. I was calling Harry either way but I really didn't want to have her arrested. As usual Leah makes me feel like King of the douche bags but I can't keep blaming myself for her refusal to accept reality. I check out the window, it's been 2 minutes and she's still out there sobbing. I sigh and dial Harry, "_Morning Sam_"

He sounds like he's having a good morning, I honestly feel bad, "hey Harry, look you need to come over here and get Leah, she showed up here crying and making a scene about being sent to her cousins. I asked her what she wanted me to do about it and she starts going off about how I only left her because you and the other Elder's made me so that I could wait for the imprint, and how because I haven't spent my time as a single wolf fucking everything with a pulse she knows I still want her.

I was pretty mean to her and I'm sorry sir, you know I never wanted to treat her badly. I'm just at my wits end Harry! If she won't go with you when you come to get her I'm going to have to call the cops and get a restraining order or something. I really didn't want it to come to this Harry. I just don't know what else to do anymore! I can't keep doing this with her! At this point I'm honestly worried about her sanity."

Harry sighs deeply, "_I'm so sorry Sam. This really is all my fault! When I explained about the imprinting I might have made it sound like we didn't give you a choice in leaving her. She was so hurt and I was trying to soften the blow, she's my little girl Sam, I just wanted to make it not hurt so bad for her. I'll be there in 4 minutes, if she won't come with me I won't hold your decision against you."_

I stay in the living room where I can see her shadow until I see Harry's shadow come up, he picks her up and carries her away and I breathe a sigh of relief that I don't have to call the cops to come haul her off. I really hope that being up in Makah helps her. I put my phone on the counter and leave through the back door, I make my way to the tree line strip and tie my shorts to my leg before phasing, Paul and Jared are both on, '_Hey guys. Paul, why aren't you in school?' _

Paul thinks back _'Teacher conferences are tonight, schools are closed down here and up in Forks' _

I grunt in response and Jared pipes in, _'So what's the deal with the Leah/Bella drama today? Any new developments?' _

I groan as the memories of this mornings ugly confrontation come pouring out, I'm usually ok at hiding things but fighting the imprint pull to give Bella the space she needed today is making me weaker and less able to keep my thoughts private. Paul busts out laughing, '_oh my God, that was fucking classic!' _

Jared snorts his laughter, _'You were brutal Sam!' _

I whimper a little _'I feel horrible for it you guys! I just didn't know what else to do anymore. I couldn't be nice about it anymore.' _

We run through the forests doing our rounds, nothing as usual and after a couple of hours we all run back to my house and phase back, pulling on our shorts we go into the house. I check my cell but there's nothing and I put it in my pocket feeling disappointed. I want to call her but I suppress the urge knowing it'll probably only piss her off more.

Jared catches me moping, "Awww, does Sammy miss his Bella?"

I snap back, "Shut the fuck up dude! Like you would be any better if Kim wouldn't talk to you!"

Paul just laughs at both of us and launches into a story about his latest conquest. I almost wish I were more like Paul. I've been living like a monk the last 2 years and I can almost see how Leah had deluded herself into thinking that the reason I wasn't chasing tail like Paul was that I still only wanted her. Almost.

After noon we go our separate ways, we all have a couple of jobs around the Res to take care of. I give Embry a call on my way to my first one to see if he wanted to come around tonight. Embry was kind of a surprise when he first started showing symptoms of the change. If he phased it meant his father was Quileute, the most likely candidate for his paternity was my father. He had walked out on my mom that year after being barely there for the year leading up to that.

Embry had talked to his mom but she would neither confirm nor deny although apparently she had gotten really geeked out and defensive that he asked specifically about my father. So we basically assume he's my brother. There are other reasons, his nose reminds me of my dads, and he has green eyes like he had. The list goes on.

But since then we decided to try to spend a couple of nights a week getting to know each other. When he's 18 if we can't get Kay to spill before hand I guess we'll do a DNA test. I'm hoping it's not necessary though. He agrees to come chill later and I remind him about his patrols and we hang up.

****Bella POV****

I text Sam back around 3:00, '_Sam, thank you for apologizing, I really appreciate that you haven't bugged me all day and that you are letting me decide when I'm ready to talk. Well I'm ready to talk; I'm still upset and really hurt that you thought I would do something like that to anyone. But I want to forgive you. Maybe we can get together tonight and hang out some? –xX Bella'_

10 minutes later my phone rings, "Hey Sam"

Sam is talking a little fast as he says, "_Hey B, thank you so much for being willing to talk to me, I seriously can't apologize enough. My last job is scheduled for four but I have Embry coming by the house at 8 for our probable brother bonding time but I'm sure he wouldn't mind if you came over also_"

I smile even though he can't see me, "if you're sure he won't mind then I'll come down to yours around 5 ok?"

He replies, "_Sure babe that sounds great, see you then_"

I say goodbye and we hang up. I'm finishing up my homework around 4 when the house line rings, "Hello?"

The person on the other end says, "_Bella? It's Cindy Newton, honey you were supposed to be here at 3_"

I gape at the phone, seriously? Did Mike really not tell his mother about him firing me? "Mrs Newton I'm so sorry but I was under the impression that I no longer worked at the store"

She sounds annoyed as she asks, "_What are you talking about Bella? You never gave me any kind of notice that you were quitting_"

I laugh, "I didn't quit Cindy, Mike fired me on Tuesday after he tried to break my boyfriends hand. My dad told me that if you called I was to tell you that he doesn't want me working with your creep of a son and that if there are further problems he will be taking care of it. So this is me telling you, I'm sorry for the inconvenience Mrs. Newton but you might want to talk to Mike about that."

I hang up and go upstairs to get ready to go to Sam's.


	12. I'm not squeaky clean or going to break

**A/N: Stephanie Meyer still owns all things Twilight. **

****Sam POV****

I'm chilling in the living room after my 4:00 turned out to be nothing more than a blown fuse. I turn on the TV and turn it to a re-run of Law and Order; I'm halfway through the episode when my phone buzzes. I check it to see there's a text from Bella, '_Sam, on my way down to you, should be there in 20-xX B'_ I shoot her one back telling her where my place is in relation to the Black's because that's the house she's most familiar with on the Res. I take a 5-minute shower and pull on a pair of baggy jeans with a black cotton tee shirt. I straighten up in my room a little in case Bella wants a tour and go out and do the same in the living room. I make sure my table stash is closed and get a soda out of the fridge. I'm a little nervous, it's the first time that Bella has been to my place and we're going to have 3 hours just the two of us which is also new. I turn on the stereo to see what cd has been left in it and shrug and leave it on when I hear Godsmack's IV album come out of the speakers. I wonder if we still go on our date if she'll want to spend Friday night down here or if she'll go back to her own place for the night. I hope that she'll stay here; I know nothing is going to really happen between us if she does but it would still be nice.

There's a knock at the door and I get up to let her in, She's wearing a black coat that buttons up the front although it looks like she only has 3 of the buttons done and comes down past her knees, it's fitted and shows off her curves, it reminds me of a trench coat but not as shapeless. She smiles and says "hey" as she comes in the door she takes her jacket off and places it on the back of a chair and turns around to give me a small kiss. Bella looks great, she's wearing a thin hot pink tee with a band logo on it that I don't recognize, with a short black and pink plaid skirt over thick black stockings with lace up boots that come to just below her knee. She sits on the sofa and I ask, "so do you want anything to drink?" she shakes her head and I lower the music a little and sit down next to her. "B I just want to say again that I'm so sorry about my stupidity yesterday, thanks a lot for coming down here today"

She smiles, "it's ok Sam, Dad and I talked a little and he feels that I should cut you some slack. He thinks that you're kind of stuck between a rock and a hard place, that even though you have made it clear to Leah that it's over that you haven't been able to really deal with her when she crosses the line because of how you look up to and respect Harry. I get it Sam, I can't say that I've been there because I honestly had never been close with a boyfriend's family until Edward, but that's another story. I just need to know that you and I are in this together, and that if an accusation is made about me that you will talk to ME before taking a side. I understand that with the imprint and Leah's reaction that it was kind of a knee jerk on your part, but you're supposed to be with me, Sam. Not her. That means you take my side until it's _proven_ that I'm wrong." I nod and look down, ashamed.

I know that she's right, we're together, we may not have really made anything official but she's my imprint and that should have been official enough for me to take her side with Harry until I knew exactly what had gone down. "You're right B. It was knee jerk; Harry's practically been the voice of God to me since I was like 15, which is when I met Leah. I'm with you B, hundred percent. Don't ever doubt that ok? I made a mistake, and I swear that it is not one that will happen again. No matter what anyone says to me about you, I will always talk it through with you before I make a judgment or any kind of decision. But that goes both ways ok?" She nods at me and I put my arm around her as she snuggles into my side. I kiss her hair and mumble, "You look great by the way" she says thanks and we just relax. Holding her feels great it's weird that just holding her on the sofa can make me feel whole. I haven't even known her for a week yet but I feel complete when I'm with her, I guess that's the imprint, it makes us feel settled even though we're anything but.

I tilt her face up towards mine and kiss her, she wraps her arms around my neck as she climbs onto my lap and kisses me back. We're making out and I'm running my hands from her hips up her back and she's rubbing the back of my neck which drives me nuts, I don't know why but it's like it's attached to my dick. Fuck, she has no clue what she's doing to me, or at least I don't think she does. I know she's a virgin but I have no clue the extent of her experience other than that she says she hasn't gone much past second base. I don't want to but I stop the kiss wary of making her uncomfortable, she gives my lower lip a soft bite, and sits back next to me smiling at me. She totally knew. This girl is going to be the death of me.

****Bella POV****

I sit down next to Sam again and I know he wants to ask me something but I'm not sure what, "Sam? Spit it out okay Babe? Whatever you want to ask me just ask." He looks a little uncomfortable, "Well honestly B it's just that you were getting me kind of hot and I feel like we're just so undefined. I mean there's the imprint but that shouldn't be the definition of our relationship. The imprint is a big part of it but it's not who we are, we're not imprintee and imprinter, the imprint is what draws us together. It's what helps me to recognize that you are my soul mate but it is not what we are. I kind of feel like I don't know what to do with you. I want you, badly. But I know that you aren't ready for that. I guess I'm asking you to tell me where we stand and what the limits are." I listen to him and what he says makes sense. He has no idea what I have or haven't done before.

He knows that my relationship with Edward was junior high level if that, based on that, it would stand to reason that what we were just doing would make me very uncomfortable. "Sam how much do you want to know? I gave you kind of an overview the other night but I can see how using the base metaphors could be kind of vague." He looks at me I guess trying to figure out how to word his next statement, "I guess I just want to know if you really have any idea what you do to me. You don't seem all that innocent or anything but I know you're a virgin and I know that you and Cullen didn't do more than kiss. I guess what I'm really asking is for you to tell me about your life B. I want to know you, everything about you." I was shocked. He was right, we really didn't know much about each other, other than what and who we were in the present. It was hard for me to think about. My past wasn't squeaky clean, with Edward I buried it, he didn't want to know. He was just happy that he couldn't read my mind. I hope he's ready for this.

"Well I was born here, I actually was friendly with Leah when we were small, we both played with the Black girls. I was friendlier with Rebecca, and Leah was friendlier with Rachel, but we all spent time together as a group too. When she ran into me in the supermarket yesterday she had no idea that I was your imprint. She asked me to hang out so she could spend more time out of La Push; I guess she assumed that your imprint was Quileute. Anyway, Charlie and Renee split when I was 10 and Renee and I moved to Phoenix. The move was hard on me, I missed my Dad, Bex, and Jake, I even missed Leah and Rachel. It was hard for me to make friends. Phoenix schools are massive and filled to the brim, and it's easy to get lost in a crowd. When I hit high school I started to develop my own style and also obviously I grew physically as well and boys started to pay attention. I started dating at 15, no one guy in particular until the next year though. I started dating Ryan who was a junior exclusively the summer before sophomore year. We had fun together, went to parties, fooled around. We had a normal relationship. I wasn't ready for sex at 16, and that annoyed him but he dealt with it or so he claimed.

Maybe 5 months after we started dating, I stopped by his house unannounced one night because I had left something there that I needed for the early morning, at this point I don't even remember what it was. But I walked in on him and another girl going at it. I dumped him on the spot. After that I fell into a crowd of senior guys who were kind of misfits like me. We liked the same music and stuff and I had a lot of fun with them, most of them treated me like a younger sister. Two of them, Greg and Joe, wanted to date me. I dated both of them casually; we had an arrangement. Neither of them would ask about the other and when I was with one of them I wouldn't talk about or to the other. As far as school was concerned we were all just friends. The group went to concerts together, we partied, sometimes too hard. Maybe a month before I was supposed to start junior year Tommy, who was kind of the leader of the group, had a big party when his parents went out of town. We got into the liquor cabinet and things got really out of hand; Tommy drank way too much and he got really sick and passed out I tried to wake him up but couldn't so I called 911. The paramedics came and revived him and brought him to the hospital.

They had to pump his stomach and give him drugs to counter act the alcohol in his system, he was pretty messed up for a few days but ultimately fine. His parents came home the next day and understandably they freaked out. The house was trashed, they found out who all was there and called our parents, they also found our stash of pot, and Tommy's stash of pills. Tommy was the only one who ever was really out of control; the rest of us smoked and drank some but he had really gone for broke. Renee was beyond pissed at me; she had just gotten married and all she could think about was that Phil, that's my step dad, was going to leave her for having an uncontrollable teenage daughter.

When they called Charlie to ask if I could live with him they conveniently didn't tell him anything about my wild lifestyle because they were afraid he wouldn't take me. They just used the excuse that Phil had to travel a lot and that Renee wanted to go with him. I love my mom; don't get me wrong we have a good relationship. Really coming out here to Charlie probably saved my life. Shortly after moving here I met Edward, he was a total mystery and I got sucked in, by the time I found out what he really was it was too late I was already hooked. He didn't know anything about my past, he treated me like I was made of glass, which was flattering at first but got very frustrating.

I never told him any of this. I hid it, when he asked me about Phoenix I gave him the version Renee gave Dad; it was helpful that he couldn't read my mind and that Dad didn't know anything about any of it. What I'm saying Sam is that I'm far from perfect, I'm not innocent. I'm telling you this so that you understand that you don't have to treat me like I'm some naïve school girl, I've done things, some things that I'm not really proud of. Physically I'm not ready to have sex with you today, but it probably won't take a long time for us to get to that point. I want us to get there together though, I want it to be natural, it doesn't have to be planned to the last detail and stereotypically perfect. When it happens it happens as long as it's with you it will be perfect for me, and until then we can do whatever we feel like short of that."

****Sam POV****

I'm trying to regain my ability to talk. Bella just basically told me all her biggest secrets I have to pull it together. I shake my head as if to shake the cobwebs out of it, "Wow. B, I don't know where to start. First the guy who cheated on you was obviously a moron. Second, I'm glad that your friend was ok. No matter what your mom was thinking B I don't think you were out of control and I doubt that your dad would either, I think he'd be proud of you for maintaining well enough to call for help in an emergency. Chances are you saved that Tommy kids life when you called 911, if you had been out of control you would have just let him die in his living room and booked out. I'm glad that you feel comfortable enough with me to tell me all of this. I can understand though why you would hide it from someone like Cullen. I know we are mortal enemies and all that but I've met the Cullen's, spoken with them you know about the treaty and such.

Edward was always so… I can't explain it, he would pick things out of Jared or Paul's minds and even though he was the one intruding on their private thoughts he would get offended about what they were thinking. I mean you don't know Paul but he's kind of "the ladies man" of the pack. And Jared has Kim, his imprint. I remember once Edward called Jared's thoughts about Kim and their sex life vile and obscene. I knew you dated him so honestly that's why I thought that you would be uncomfortable with us doing what we were doing. I was judging you based on my interaction with him and what I thought he would have looked for in a girl. It probably is a good thing he couldn't read your mind B, he would have probably fainted to know that you lived like a normal teenager in this century. Well you know if he could faint.

Look we've been talking for a while, Embry will probably show up soon, he's usually early, so I just want to get this ironed out before he gets here and we decide to order food and we can't really talk anymore. I want you to know that I don't judge you on your past, if anything I'm glad that you lived your life the way you wanted to. I'm glad that I don't have to worry about offending you or treating you like glass because I want you exactly how you are, flaws and all. Hell if you were perfect you'd be fucking boring and that's what Cullen wanted, he wanted you to be boring because he himself is probably the most boring being that I've ever come across. You don't have to pretend to be anyone other than who you are with me Bella, you know that right?"

She looked at me biting her lower lip and nodded her head, "yeah Sam, I know." She smiled at me and I pulled her to me and kissed her for the first time without worrying or holding back. I have my hands on her hips just over the top of her skirt under her shirt, rubbing the small of her back. She has her hands in my hair and every so often she sucks my bottom lip into her mouth, it feels incredible. I never knew kissing could be like this. I had only kissed a couple of girls before I had started a relationship with Leah and while kissing them was nice it is nothing compared to kissing Bella. She's the only girl I've ever met who has ever gotten me hard just by kissing me. I mimic her moves, gently nipping her lip and then sucking on it softly before going back. I move my hands up her sides and cup her breasts gently squeezing and softly stroking them.

I hear a car pull up and pull away from her with a curse, "Shit" She's slightly out of breath, "what's wrong?" I laugh, "Embry's here" I say just as he comes through the front door. Bella bursts into laughter quickly moving off my lap and curling into my side. Embry looks at us slightly pink, "uh, sorry guys, do you uh want me to come back in a little bit?" I laugh and wave him off, "nah it's ok kid, come meet your future sister in law, bro" he walks over and I make the introductions, "Bella this is Embry my probable kid brother. Embry this is Bella my probable girlfriend although she hasn't made it official yet" at this Bella bursts out looking indignant, "Hey! Sam Uley as the _man_ in this relationship and also as the older of the two of us I think you're the one who's supposed to make it official. Besides I can't say yes unless you ask me" I shrug, "I guess that you have a point there. Well how about it then? Will you be my girlfriend?" She looks thoughtful for a second, "yeah sure, you're a good kisser at least." Embry and I both bust out laughing and Bella says "so what do you guys want to order for dinner?"

We decide on Chinese food for dinner, and then spend some time talking and all of us getting to know each other better. Embry and Bella get along well although he and I are going to have a talk when she leaves about him looking at her ass every time she leaves a room. I put in a movie around 9 and am surprised when Paul, and Jake come in from their round around the Res and join us. Bella is on my lap and Paul comes up and introduces himself, "Hey, I'm Paul. Thank you so much for making the leeches go away!" She laughs, "Well I didn't make them go but I'm glad they're gone. I'm Bella, it's nice to meet you." We all settle in to watch the movie, every so often Bella will turn back to me and kiss me softly and then turn around and watch the movie like it didn't happen. When my watch alarm goes off at 10:30 it's time for her to leave because she has to get home by 11 during the week. We stand up and she says good-bye to the guys and gets her coat. I walk her out and confirm our date for Friday which is tomorrow, nothing fancy, I'll pick her up from school and we'll go see a movie and then go back to my house to hang out with the guys, she said she'll decide from there whether she wants to crash at my place or go back to hers. I kiss her against her truck and she basically climbs me so that her legs are wrapped around my waist.

The alarm beeps at me and I pull away and gently place her back on the ground, she looks at me quizzically, "why do you have an alarm set for when I have to leave Sam?" I feel my face heat up a little, "well, Charlie and I talked and I respect his rules B. He wants you home by 11 on the nights you have to go home, with all the freedoms he allows us, I'm not going to take the one thing he's asking for lightly. I will always make sure that you get home on time." She nods and smiles brightly at me, "you're right, Dad has been really cool with us, we owe it to him to respect the few things he does ask for" She kisses me lightly and gets in the truck. I wave as I watch her leave and then turn and go in to hang with the rest of the guys before I have to take a short patrol. Tomorrow is going to be a long day.


	13. Let's party till he ruins it

**A/N: Stephanie Meyer owns Twilight. Again I want to thank everyone who's reading this and especially everyone taking the time to leave a review! **

****Bella POV the next afternoon****

School took forever today; the only thing I could concentrate on was my date with Sam this afternoon. I had caught a ride in with Charlie this morning because Sam was picking me up from school and even though I loathed arriving in the cruiser I had enjoyed the ride with him. I made my way from my last class to my locker sending Sam a text on the way '_grabbing my stuff from my locker and changing clothes, will meet you in the parking lot in 15 mins. -xX B'_, I had gotten lucky and none of my teachers had assigned any weekend homework so I was going to leave all my books and my backpack in my locker. I had brought an overnight bag with me with a change of clothes for our date and whatever I would need for the next couple of nights if I decided to crash at Sam's place. I grabbed my bag and jacket threw the rest of my stuff in the locker and locked it up before heading to the ladies room to change.

I come out wearing a tight grey striped v-neck t-shirt with a burnout design on it over top of a long sleeve hot pink fishnet top with a black Dickies miniskirt and my knee high boots. I put my long black jacket on not bothering to button it, picked up my bag and headed out to meet Sam in the parking lot. I'm walking out of the building when a loud wolf whistle sounds; I look up to see Sam sitting on the rail that separates the path from the baseball field. I smile at him and how natural yet out of place he looks. He obviously does not belong in a high school, as he looks a few years older than his actual 21, yet he seems perfectly comfortable and at ease sitting on the wooden rail of the fence. He's wearing a rob zombie t-shirt with a really worn in faded pair of loose fitting jeans. They're probably a pair he regularly wears for work and the thought of him doing manual labor makes me want to jump on him. I walk a little quicker and when I get to him he moves his legs to either side of me so that he can pull me in to hug me. He kisses my neck nuzzling me it makes me shiver and he laughs and kisses me I pull back and say, "Well hi to you too Sam. You wanna go see the movie or just hang out here all day? We can pretend you're still a teenager too, maybe we can go hang out in the woods behind the train station." He laughs and kisses me before standing up and putting his arm around my shoulders, "Nah we'll go see the movie. I think my 'train station woods' days are behind me although it might be fun to visit that place again." I wrap my arm around his waist and we go to his truck.

I grab his iPod and start surfing through it while he drives. Sam has a pretty eclectic collection, classic rock, grunge, metal, some rap, and of course the requisite of any stoner's music collection, Sublime. I go into album mode and put on 40oz. to Freedom, I start singing along and I can see Sam watching me out of the corner of his eye he seems a little surprised that I know the words. We get to Port Angeles and Sam opens up my door and helps me out of his truck, I kiss him softly and take his hand as we walk into the building. We're standing off to the side trying to decide what to see. Unfortunately neither one of us really thought ahead to see what was playing and we see that our choices are limited to either Jackass 3D which I really did not want to see and Saw 3D which Sam wasn't too thrilled about, "I don't know B. The last 2 were kind of lame." I sigh, "I know Sam but I really don't think I have it in me to watch supposedly grown men do gross things to themselves and each other, if I wanted to watch that I'd just go hang out with Jake and Embry." He laughs and says, "Fine B, you win. Besides lame movies definitely have their advantages, like you won't be mad that you missed it if we spend the whole thing making out."

I laugh and he goes to buy the tickets. We stop at the snack counter for drinks but decide to get food after the movie instead of trying to feed a wolf on overpriced theater food. The girl helping us openly drools over Sam and pretty much ignores me when I place my drink order. When she hands him back his change she makes sure to do it in a manner which allows her to stroke his hand he frowns at her and waits for her to let go of the change, after 10 seconds she hasn't done so and I start to lose my cool. I clear my throat, as she looks up at me, "honey if you don't want to lose that hand I suggest that you just give him the change and back the fuck off." She looks shocked and drops the change into Sam's hand. He grabs his drink and puts his free hand on the small of my back as we walk away, "would you have really fought with her B?" he asks as we enter the theater. I smirk mirthlessly, "if she hadn't dropped the change when I said that yeah I probably would have. Lucky for her I guess she has half a brain." The theater is otherwise empty and we climb the stadium style stairs and take the middle two seats in the very top row. We had been cutting it close and I'm actually pretty shocked to see that it's completely empty I mean granted it's only late afternoon but it's a Friday so I'd been expecting it to be like a quarter full.

The seats have the armrests that go back if you don't want to use them and we leave the one between us up only using the outside ones. I take off my jacket and lay it on the seat next to me and settle in next to Sam. He wraps his arm around my shoulders and I snuggle in, as soon as the lights go down he starts to rub my arm just under where my sleeve ends playing with the net top. The coming attractions end and I shift so that I'm sitting with my legs in his lap. He pulls me closer and kisses me while he softly strokes my leg from the bottom of my skirt to the top of my boot. He stops kissing me and we both take a quick look around to see if anyone has come in but we are still alone in the theater, Sam easily lifts me up moving himself more into the middle of the two seats and settles me so that I'm on his lap facing him. I run my hands over his shoulders and rub his neck while I lean in and kiss him, taking his bottom lip in my mouth I gently suck on it. We make out like this for a while, I have no idea what is going on in the movie only that his hands are rubbing my back and ghosting down my sides. He grabs my ass as he lightly bites my lip. I moan into his mouth as I tug gently on his hair.

****Sam POV****

As Bella pulls my hair I run my hands up from her hips to her breasts and gently squeeze them, she moans again and grinds on my lap a little. I'm debating taking things further when I hear someone come in the theater door. I gently pull back giving her one more kiss and then gently move her off of me back to her seat. She looks confused and a little hurt until two teenage boys come around the side of wall that keeps the light from the doors from disturbing the movie. I lean over and whisper in her ear, "Don't doubt that I want you B. I just don't want anyone staring at your ass while we make out." She laughs a little inappropriately and the two guys look back at us. We settle in and watch the rest of the movie only getting caught up in inappropriate for public make out sessions once or twice more.

The movie ends and Bella puts her coat on, "Eh, I guess that was worth it." I turn to her feigning hurt, "damn B, way to shoot my ego down" She laughs, "I meant the movie Sam! The rest of it was damn well worth it! Now, what do you want to eat?" I think for a bit, "Why don't we go back to my place, I'm going to order a bunch of pizza later for when the guys and Kim come over so why don't we just head back and get set up. I have a ton of snack type food I'm sure we can throw something together to get us through till then." She smiles and replies, "that's fine, honestly I'm not even hungry but I know you so I figured you would be" I take her hand and we walk through the parking lot. We get in the car and Bella starts looking through my iPod again. I start out of the parking lot and turn to her, "Hey, B?" She looks up, "yeah?" "You remember that joint we smoked with Quil and the guys last weekend?" She looks at me confused, "yeah? Why? What about it?" "Well is that the kind of smoke you're used to?"

She smiles and laughs a little, "Honestly I'm sorry but Quil has pretty much the lamest smoke I've ever come across. Joe once got us a bag of this high-end exo shit, but mostly we had regular mids and some kind here and there." Shit, she's only allowed to smoke tonight if she stays over, "Well the stuff you got that one time is what I get on the reg. So unless you're going to crash over you probably shouldn't because it will knock you on your ass B." She laughs and indicates her bag in the back, "I still haven't made up my mind but I'm good for the next couple of days if I decide to stay." She finds what she wants on my iPod and we drive the rest of the way singing along with Nonpoint's Development album.

We get back to my place and I help her out of the truck and we go inside. She comes with me into the kitchen as I start pulling out chips, sodas, and beer out and getting things set up. She looks in the fridge to see what I have that she can make us for a snack and pulls out 2 packages of hot dogs and 2 containers of those refrigerator crescent rolls. I look at her strangely, "What are you going to do with those B?" She smiles at me like I'm slow; "I'm going to make pigs in a blanket, duh. Get me a pot to cook the hot dogs in ok?" I get her the pot and watch as she fills it with water and puts the hot dogs in it to cook on the stove. She's standing in front of the stove and it just hits me that this is going to be our life, watching her at the stove cooking in our house, taking care of me as I will take care of her. I stand behind her and wrap my arms around her waist as she leans back against me I kiss the top of her head.

We get everything ready and at 7:30 Bella is sitting on my lap facing me and we're making out on the couch when the door opens and Jared and Kim walk in. I feign anger, "What the hell you guys! Can't you ever fucking knock?" I manage to get the whole statement out before busting out laughing. Bella is blushing as she moves to sit beside me, "Sam Uley do you expect me to believe you didn't hear them coming?" She's glaring at me and I shrink under her gaze, of course I heard them coming, I just hadn't wanted to stop kissing her. I start to stammer out an explanation when she bursts out laughing, pointing at me, "Oh my god Sam! You should have seen your face!" Kim and Jared laugh along with her. She gets up and walks over to Kim sticking out her hand, "Hey! You must be Kim. I'm Bella. It's really great to meet you finally!" Kim smiles at her, "it's nice to meet you too, I've heard a lot about you from Sam, and Jared, and of course Paul never stops talking about you. I think you dumping Cullen officially made you his hero. " We all laugh at that as Embry and Jake come in the door. Jake calls out, "sup Bells! You look great!" She does a little turn playfully showing off her outfit and I growl as I catch both of the little shits staring at her ass, "Hey you two! Eyes off the goods!" they laugh and B blushes a little.

****Bella POV****

I can feel my face turning red as Sam reprimands Jake and Embry about having their eyes on my 'goods' I shove that instinctual blush back down and say, "Geeze, 'best friend' and 'probable future brother in law' and you still can't keep your eyes off? Shame on you both! You should have more respect for your Alpha's woman!" they both drop their eyes in shame as the rest of us laugh, "only joking guys, but serious only because I don't want Sam to beat your asses!" Paul comes bounding in the back door and I sit on Sam's lap as he calls for attention, "Okay you guys, listen up! The rules here go as follows; if you drink or smoke you will either be staying here or catching a ride with Jared and Kim. Unless Kim decides she wants to imbibe, in which case you can either call your parents to ask for a ride or you will stay here. Kim I trust you to hold on to your keys for now, if you decide to use or drink just have J put them on top of the fridge for you. You wolves, I only have one spare bedroom and that is for Kim and Jared if they decide to stay over. If they leave you can fight it out amongst yourselves as to who is going to get the bed and who is going to get the couch out here. You will not break anything in my house, is that clear?"

The rest of the boys nod as Sam continues, "We're going to do this without an order tonight but if anything is broken or anyone who shouldn't have left is missing when I wake up tomorrow I promise you all that the next time I have a party you will either be the sole wolf responsible for patrolling while the rest of us have a good time, or I will Alpha Order all your asses and these simple rules will become Law. Got it?" Everyone nods and Sam shifts me to the sofa as he gets up, "I'll be back in a second ok B?" I nod and he walks back into the bedroom and comes back with a green foot and a half bong. He hands it to me and I inspect it, it's beautiful and probably cost him a pretty penny, green glass with blue dragonflies and mushrooms around the outside. The hitter is glass on glass, which alone ups the price on it, "Damn Babe, this must have cost you a fortune, it's beautiful." He smiles and says, "It was worth the price" as he uses the remote and turns the stereo on.

He takes the hitter from me and packs it up handing it back to me and looking at me expectantly. I know why he's looking at me like that. If I hit it, it means that I'm spending the night. If I pass it, it means that I'm calling Charlie for a ride home later. I look at the pot, he's right that it definitely is better than most anything I've had before. It's bright green and covered in crystals and little hairs. I reach into the little pocket in my skirt and pull out a lighter, put my mouth on the mouthpiece and carefully put the flame to the outer edge of the bowl and pull a corner. This allows me to pull what I want and not roast the whole bowl, which means the bowl pack will last longer. I take a modest amount of smoke into the tube, pull out the bowl and inhale. I put the bowl back in and hand it to Sam still holding my hit. I count to 10 and exhale. I open my eyes feeling a bit spacey and find all the wolves including Sam staring at me, "What?" Paul breaks the silence, "What the fuck? Sam you hit the imprint lotto man! Chick can cook, she's hot, chill as hell, and knows how to pull a corner? Damn girl, you should've seen us trying to teach Kim to pull a corner. She roasted like 4 bowl packs before she got the hang of it." Kim looks a little insulted as Sam passes the bong over to Jared. Sam pulls me back onto his lap and tells Paul to back off. He whispers in my ear, "So you're staying then Baby?" I kiss his cheek and whisper back, "yeah, may as well. Let me step out and call Charlie ok?"

I get up from his lap grab my cell and walk through the kitchen to step out the back door. I dial the house and after 3 rings Charlie picks up, "Hello?" "Hey Dad, how's your evening going?" "Hey Bells, it's okay, what's up?" "I just wanted to let you know that I'm going to stay over at Sam's tonight, possibly tomorrow night too, I have my clothes so I'm all set till Sunday. It's okay with you right?" He clears his throat, "umm, yeah that's fine Bells. Be safe. Love you" "I love you too Dad, If you're coming down tomorrow morning to fish with Billy why don't you stop by here at around 1? I'll cook lunch." "That sounds good Bells. I'll give you a call tomorrow around noon to confirm that that's still the plan." We say our good byes and I hang up. I stand on Sam's back porch thinking about how different my life has become in only a week. This time last week Sam and I hadn't even met.

Just then my cell rings, that's weird why would Charlie call me right back? But it's not my house number on the screen; it's Alice's number, "Hello?" The voice that answers is not the one that I was expecting, "Hello, Love." What the fuck? "Edward?" as soon as I say it I hear the music go dead in the house and Sam comes out onto the porch with me. I hold a finger up to him indicating that he should be quiet as Edward talks, "Where are you Bella? I want to talk to you, I figure you have had enough time to come to your senses by now" I snort laughter, "are you fucking serious? Come to my senses? I came to my senses the moment I decided to dump your ass Edward! To answer your question though, I'm at my boyfriend's house in La Push. If you want to talk to me then I dare you to show up here, you've met him before you know, Sam says hi"

I hear a strangled snarl followed by someone yelling to hold him down a couple of thuds and then Alice comes on the line, "what the hell did you say to him Bella? Edward is furious!" I shake my head incredulously, "what right does he have to be angry Alice? I thought you said he was going to give Tanya a chance, so why is he calling me to begin with? I made it really clear the night I broke up with him that I was finished and didn't want to speak to him anymore." Alice sighs, "I only told you that hoping it would make you jealous and you would change your mind. He called you because he misses you and because I can't see you Bella." I break in there, "Are you insane? For starters you know I don't want you attempting to 'see' me anymore Alice, for another since you've met Sam I'm sure you know about the werewolves. I'm _with _Sam, Alice. He's my boyfriend now. And right now he's looking really pissed and gesturing for the phone, I suggest you call for Carlisle because something tells me he is going to want to speak with him."

**A/N: I'm going to end this chapter here. The last two days have been kind of a blur I'm sorry I haven't updated since Sunday but I should get a couple of chapters up today for you guys. **


	14. Fuck it, he's not ruining anything!

**A/N: Stephanie Meyer owns Twilight. Sorry! I've been working on this chapter since the last one went up but as I've stated in a previous note I don't own a computer and am at the mercy of my mother as to when I can borrow her laptop. Also I want to address a couple of the reviews I've gotten about my format, I really am not sure how much I'm supposed to break paragraphs down. I don't really write other than this story so I'm kind of new at this, I don't really like making a new line for every line of dialogue because I think it makes it look too much like a screen play. So I'm sorry if it's difficult to read, I'll try to make the paragraphs shorter this chapter, if that doesn't help then I don't really know what else to do.**

****Sam POV****

The second I heard her say "Edward?" I had the stereo off I motioned for the guys to stay where they were and bolted out the door to the porch. She holds her finger up indicating that I should keep quiet and I hear him ask her where she is and tell her that he wants to talk to her about her coming to her senses.

I am about to start yelling when she laughs derisively and says, "Are you fucking serious? Come to my senses? I came to my senses the moment I decided to dump your ass, Edward! To answer your question though, I'm at my boyfriend's house in La Push. If you want to talk to me then I dare you to show up here, you've met him before you know, Sam says hi."

Whatever she may say after that is cut off by a snarl followed by some yelling and thuds, then one of the girl leeches gets on the line, "What the hell did you say to him Bella? Edward is furious!"

Bella shakes her head and asks the vamp who I now know is Alice what right Doucheward has to be angry and that she was told by the fortune telling leech that he was going to give someone named Tanya a chance and that she made it very clear how she felt when she broke up with him and told him she wasn't interested in speaking to him anymore. The girl leech sighs and tells Bella that she was trying to make her jealous so she would give Prudeward another chance and that he called her because he missed her and that she can't see Bella's future anymore.

Bella breaks in and starts yelling at Alice, "Are you insane? For starters you know I don't want you attempting to 'see' me anymore Alice, for another since you've met Sam I'm sure you know about the werewolves. I'm _with_ Sam, Alice. He's my boyfriend now."

At this point I'm so pissed I can't see straight! How dare these leeches try to manipulate her when she had made the decision to leave their life, How dare the fortuneteller lie to her and try to make her jealous! I'm gesturing for the phone and she tells the girl leech to call for the leader and she's damn right that I want to speak to him.

I take the phone when she holds it out for me and say, "Hello." Girl leech responds, "it's Alice, Sam, Carlisle is on his way to the phone." I was about to rip into her when Carlisle came on the line, "Sam what can I do for you?"

I growled, "You can keep your _children _away from my imprint, Carlisle. Bella Swan is my imprint, I imprinted on her the Monday after you left town and we are now in a relationship, she's my girlfriend. She had made it clear to Edward that she no longer wished to have any contact with him when she broke up with him last Friday. She made it clear to Alice after you moved that she did not want her to look for her future. I also don't appreciate Alice lying to Bella about her visions and possibly leaving her open to danger."

He replies, "I see, I thought that a wolves imprint is always native? Never mind it really doesn't matter, I'm sorry about Edward and Alice, you have my word Sam that I will explain to them both about the imprint and that they will not contact Bella again. I know I've told you that Alice can't 'see' you and the other wolves; I would hazard a guess that it's the imprint that has blocked Bella from Alice's vision. Again I apologize for my children's behavior Sam, they will not bother Bella again. Please give her my regards."

I cut off his well wishes, "Carlisle I need to know that you will not let Edward come back to this area. I will not let you continue to put Bella's life in danger because you failed to keep control of your coven. If he comes back here and tries to hurt her or take her, fuck even if he just looks at her in a way that I find threatening, his existence is forfeit and I promise you that I will kill him. You need to know that I am completely serious here, there is nothing more sacred to a wolf than his imprint, and any threat against an imprint will be dealt with accordingly."

He answers me stiffly, "I will be sure to pass along the message Sam. You will not have further problems with us. Have a good night." I flip the phone closed and went to Bella, during my conversation she had moved to sit down on one of the chairs on my porch.

She looks up at me a worried look on her face, "are they coming back here?" I cup her face in my hands, "no B, if they know what's good for them they won't. I was being serious when I said that if he was to hurt you or even look at you in a way that I find threatening I would kill him, you know that right?" She smiles and nods, "yeah I know."

I take her hand and pull her to me, she wraps her arms around my neck as I lift her up and she wraps her legs around my waist. We kiss passionately for about 5 minutes and then Paul comes out the back door, "What the hell Sam! Just leave us all dying in there! What the fuck is the deal? Are they coming back?"

Bella and I just stare at him, as he finally seems to realize that he's interrupted us. His eyes drop to my hands on B's ass and he opens his mouth to say something as I cut him off, "Don't even _think _about saying something Paul. Let's just go back inside and I'll give you all the rundown at once."

I follow Paul through the back door still carrying Bella. I get to the living room and sit down she gets up for a minute and sits back on my lap facing out into the room, I wrap my arms around her waist before addressing the guys and Kim.

"First I just want to reassure you guys that the Cullen's are _not _coming back. Apparently Edward wanted to speak to Bella, thought maybe she had 'come to her senses' about leaving him by now. The fortuneteller, Alice, said that Bella has disappeared from her visions and that was another reason that Edward had called, that they were worried. When Bella told Edward that she was my girlfriend now he got really pissed. I told Carlisle that Edward is no longer welcome in Forks, you guys know what he looks like, and you have all caught his individual scent around Bella's when we have been there. If you smell him, you give him 1 opportunity to leave remind him of the treaty with the other Cullen's and that he is no longer allowed in Forks. The exception to that though is if his eyes are red, if he has been drinking human blood, don't hesitate, burn his ass. Carlisle knows that if Edward comes back and poses a threat to Bella that he will be taken out. So there you go"

Bella sighs as she picks up the bong off the table and takes a big hit; she holds the smoke for about 10 seconds and finally exhales coughing her ass off. She catches her breath and says, "I can't believe this shit! I just want all of them to get a clue! I don't know how much clearer I have to be when I say 'Stay the fuck out of my life'!"

The guys all look at her stunned as she starts laughing and we all bust out laughing because oh yeah, B is fucking high.

****Bella POV****

After my little declaration towards the Cullen's I was feeling pretty right. Sam wasn't kidding when he said his shit was strong, this made the stuff Quil had had seem like a joke. The party went back to normal, I could see Jared and Kim dancing while Paul played some Xbox game with Jake and Embry. Sam had plugged his iPod into the stereo and I laughed when So Bad from Eminem's Recovery album came on.

I got up off of his lap and held my hand out to him, "Dance with me?" he got up and we danced kind of inappropriately. I was feeling good though so I didn't care that Paul had paused their game to watch us, Sam noticed him and growled at him and he went back to his game.

Around 10 Sam and the older guys went to go do a patrol around the res. They get back about a half hour later and they repack the bong and start hitting it hardcore. The younger guys look like they've had fun but they have mostly stuck to alcohol, which from what Sam tells me doesn't really affect them with their wolf metabolism. I guess it makes sense; their high body temp and super high metabolism burns it off before it really has a chance to do anything. I guess because pot mostly affects the mind and not so much the body that that's why it still affects them pretty much the same as when they were human.

About an hour later Jake and Embry decide to call it a night, Sam who is barely maintaining has them come and blow in his face and takes a good look in their eyes to make sure they are okay to leave before nodding and letting them go. Kim passes her keys to Jared who puts them up on the fridge as she goes in to Sam's freezer and pulls out a full bottle of Malibu coconut rum. Jared passes her a large can of pineapple juice and Kim starts playing bartender.

As the night goes on Sam and Jared get more touchy feely with Kim and I and Paul looks more and more uncomfortable. I finally ask him, "Hey Paul, why didn't you bring a date or something?"

He explains, "I don't really 'date' B. I hook up with chicks sure but I don't really get to know them or anything. It's easier this way; no one gets hurt. You know? Plus it's only really awkward because now Sam has you so I'm kind of the odd man out."

I nod, I can understand the logic, it just kind of makes me sad that all of the boys who haven't imprinted have to be lonely until they do that or they play Paul's game and have a lot of meaningless sex with women they'll never call again. I can't see Jake or Embry playing that game. Quil once he phases will probably find himself as Paul's wingman but the other two probably not.

Jake was raised with 2 older sisters and he adored his mother before her untimely death so he has far too much respect for women to use them that way. And Embry is just way too sweet plus the fact that he and Sam were both raised by just their moms and the respect that they have for them pretty much dictates that they treat women well.

We decide to watch a movie and put on Super Troopers and we all laugh our stoned buzzed asses off from start to finish, once it's over we decide to call it a night, Jared and Kim go into the spare bedroom and Sam brings Paul out a blanket from the master bedroom before he takes my hand and grabs my overnight bag.

We stumble into his bedroom and he sets my bag on the bed before turning to me, "this is okay with you right? Generally no one sleeps in my moms old room, I haven't had a chance, or really the heart to turn it into another guest room yet but the bed has clean sheets if you would rather sleep in there."

I shake my head trying to clear it a little, "No Sam, this is fine your bed looks more than big enough for the both of us. I'm just going to grab my clothes and go change." I can hear myself slurring a little but it's too late to worry about it now, I go to the bag and grab my sleep set and a clean pair of panties along with my toiletry bag and head to the bathroom.

I change my clothes slowly trying not to trip or fall over, wrapping my bra and panties up in the rest of my clothes from the day. I pull on my nightclothes and look at myself in the mirror over the sink. My eyes are glassy and a little bloodshot and my lips are curved in a spacey smile. Yeah I'm fucked up. What do I do? I'm honestly a little afraid to sleep with Sam, I know I don't have to be afraid of him pushing me to do things, I'm honestly kind of worried that whatever I start I won't want to stop.

I stop that line of thinking and remove my makeup and wash my face. I pull my hair back into a low ponytail and grabbing my clothes go back out into Sam's room. I put my dirty clothes in one side of my overnight bag pushing the clean stuff over so that it only minimally touched. Sam was lying on the far side of the bed and watching ESPN on the small TV on his dresser.

I finished what I was doing and sat on the edge of the bed. Sam looks over at me, "you don't have to be scared B. I promise hands off unless you say otherwise."

I smiled at him as I lay down next to him, "remember what we talked about Sam? I'm not as innocent as I might seem."

He laughs, "Yeah I know B. You definitely shook most of your innocent image tonight; you were taking bong hits like a pro."

I shrug, "I told you I used to party." He pulls me close to him and wraps his arm around my shoulder as I snuggle in and lay my head on his. He changes the channel to one of the music channels that they have on cable and reaches into his night stand for and pulls out a small bowl.

He hands me the bowl and a dub bag and I pack it up and take a hit I hand it to him and tell him, "Oh, are you going to be around tomorrow afternoon? I invited Charlie here to have lunch with us but I just realized that I don't know if you have work or anything."

He exhales the smoke and passes me back the bowl as he replies, "I'll be home all day tomorrow, the only job that needs doing is over at the Clearwater's and I'm not going to be doing the jobs over there anymore so Jared or Paul will handle it. What time is Charlie supposed to come over? And does this mean you're staying the night with me tomorrow too?"

I take my hit while he's talking and pass him the bowl back as I answer, "yeah I'll stay here till Sunday as long as you're cool with it. Dad will be by around 1 he's fishing with Billy tomorrow morning."

Sam nods as he kills the bowl and tucks it away before turning off the TV and pulling me to him. We make out for a while but neither one of us moves to take it any farther than intense make out session and finally we both give in to sleep.

**A/N: I want to apologize again for how long it took to get this chapter up, it was mostly the fact that I do not have a computer of my own and partly I don't know for some reason I was feeling kind of insecure about it, I've gone over it and over it, I've changed it multiple times and really I just don't know how I feel about this chapter. Right now mainly I'm trying to establish Sam and Bella's relationship so that I can start moving forward if I try to keep doing their relationship day by day it's going to get really boring. Once I can have them established and have some of their patterns down I can move the whole story forward easier. The Cullen's are not coming back at this point in the story, that is not to say that they never will, but it's not happening now. **


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N: Stephanie Meyer owns all things Twilight. I always have the best intentions and then it's a week later and I haven't posted anything new. Weekends are hard because my mother is off so she needs her computer but I'm going to TRY to get a few up over the weekend. No guarantees but I will try.**

****Sam POV** **

I woke up Saturday morning just as the sun is peeking over the horizon with Bella in my arms. I stroke one hand over her hair and listen to the steady beat of her heart. Feeling her body in her thin pajamas against mine is awesome and I wish that I could stay with her like this forever but I have to take an early patrol, make sure everything is copacetic. I gently shift Bella away from me and put a pillow under her head as I lower her to the bed.

Moving into the living room I see Paul still on the couch. I walk over to him and give his shoulder a shake, "Hey, Paul, wake up man. You have patrol with me."

He groans out, "come on Sam! Make Jared go with you!"

I smirk, "dude if you think I'm going in there while he's in the bed with Kim you have to be out your mind! Come on if you don't get up and get going now I'm going to make you in charge of patrolling for the whole day."

He groans some more but pulls himself up off the couch while doing it; I'm relieved I don't have to give him a command. I like being the leader and everything don't get me wrong I just don't like it when I have to act like I'm the father of a mostly grown man and 3 soon to be 4 teenage boys, I would rather be an older brother type than full out father figure.

We hit the tree line and phase; it's a beautiful day and I love the wind through my fur but really I just want to get back to Bella. Paul groans, '_dude when did you turn into Jared? You're supposed to be the big tough Alpha man but you can't wait to get back to bed with your girl? How sweet, but seriously man wtf you aren't even hitting it yet and she already owns your balls?' _

'_Fuck you Paul! Wait till you imprint!' _he laughs and it takes pretty much all my willpower not to kick his ass but we need to get back to the task at hand. We run through the trees at break neck pace trying to get it over with as fast as we could while still doing a thorough job. Paul kept taunting me about Bella till I finally gave in and used an Alpha command to shut him up.

We got back to my house about an hour later; we phased back and pulled our shorts on. I sniff the air something smells really good, "Hey, do you smell food?"

He takes a long inhale and groans, "dude, whatever that is it smells delicious, I so hope that's coming from your place!"

We walk in and I swear I've died and gone to heaven, at the stove wearing her little short and tank sleep set is my gorgeous girlfriend. Her hair is still tied back in the low ponytail she put it in before coming to bed last night and I take advantage as I step behind her and pull me to her as I kiss the side of her neck.

She shivers as she laughs and screams a bit as she says, "Sam! I'm trying to cook here!" I look over what she's making and holy crap it looks good, "what're you making honey?" She smiles, "This my sexy boyfriend is a diner style sausage, bacon, and cheese omelet with diced fried potato chunks with red pepper and onion."

She makes a huge plate up and sets it in front of me giving me a kiss on the cheek before turning back to the stove, Paul comes back in from the bathroom and I see he's taken a shower and changed to jeans and a work shirt. I guess he's taking the Clearwater job, all the better, he can let me know if they actually sent Leah up to Makah or if she's just on house arrest or something. He looks at my huge plate of food and then over at Bella, "Hey! Do I get food? I'm the one who has to go do a job over at the crazy bitch faces today!"

Bella rolls her eyes at him, "Yes Paul, you do get food. I'm making it so if you want to eat it sit down and act like you've had some obedience training." Paul laughs and says "Feisty, I like that in a woman, too bad you're with Sammy here." I growl at him low in my throat and Bella laughs as she swats at him with the wooden spoon she was using to stir the potato onion and pepper combo.

He sits down and watches as she pours the eggs that she just whisked into a pan and adds slices of sausages and a bunch of homemade bacon bits to it, she waits for the eggs to firm up and then adds a few slices of cheese. She opens the oven and sticks the pan under the broiler for a minute until the cheese is melted then pulls it out folds it over and puts it on a plate. She dishes up a huge portion of the potatoes and puts the plate in front of Paul who honestly looks like he's about to start drooling.

Jared comes out of the guest room as Embry and Jake come in the front door and they all say at the same time, "What smells so good?" Paul and I laugh and teasingly show them our plates. Paul starts digging in and I pause, "I'm sure if you all ask Bella nicely she'll make you all some too. Jared where's Kim?" He replies, "She had to go home and babysit her kid brother she left probably just after you two went out for patrol."

I nod as I take a huge bite of my omelet, oh shit that tastes good! I really got lucky with B as an imprint, she's gorgeous, cool as fuck, AND her cooking is so fucking good! Embry sits down next to me and steals a piece of my omelet off my plate and actually moans as he chews it, I smirk as B places a plate down in front of him and steal back an equal piece. Jake stops to kiss Bella on the cheek and I watch as his eyes rove over her body. Shit. He probably hasn't ever seen her wearing so little. She raises an eyebrow at him and asks, "You okay Jake? You look like you've got a little touch of wandering eye."

He smirks a little as he answers, "well you know hormones. You can't blame me when you're the one wandering around wearing practically nothing. Not to mention it looks like it's kind of cold in here." Of course his comment has all the guys including me looking at her chest and yeah I guess it is a little chilly in here. I growl at Jake as Bella looks really embarrassed and goes back into my room.

"What the fuck Jake? You just really embarrassed her! What the fuck is your deal? I thought we talked about this? I thought you understood that Bella is with me and doesn't think of you that way. Or did I somehow misconstrue the conversation you had with her the day we told her about the wolves and imprinting when she asked you to be her best friend and you said you always would be?" He has the decency to look sheepish and he starts to reply but is cut off by Bella storming back to the kitchen.

She's wearing one of my hooded sweatshirts with the arms rolled all the way up and a pair of jeans. She looks around at all of us before she goes back to the stove and starts on another omelet, "Am I suitably covered now Jake? I mean you've seen me in a bathing suit so I don't know how my pajamas are suddenly scandalous. If you still haven't caught on to the way things are, which really, what does that say about your intelligence level seeing as I have told you in plain English that I am not interested in you that way and that I only want you as a friend and you agreed! However if you still don't get it I'll tell you again. I'm with Sam. _He_ is _my_ _boyfriend._ He's also _your Alpha!_ I'm not going to tell you this shit again Jake. You will either treat me with the respect that you claim to have for me or Sam will kick your ass and I'm pretty sure from the scowl Embry is shooting at you that he will help his brother to kick your ass. I love you Jake, you have always been my best friend, but more than that you've been the brother that I never got to have. I'm sorry that I'm not and have never been in love with you but that's just something that you need to accept."

She sets the plate she just finished making in front of Jared and takes the pans to the sink and starts washing them as Jake looks at her dumbstruck. I guess he actually thought that after the way he just treated her that she would still make him breakfast. Stupid kid. She finishes loading the pans into the dishwasher as she pulls out a bowl and a box of cereal and pours herself a bowl, she sets it on the table in front of me and I pull her onto my lap. Jake is still staring at her and he's starting to sputter. She looks at him, "I'm sorry did you need something?"

He actually looks like he might cry and I _almost_ feel sorry for him, "you're not going to make me breakfast?"

Bella and I just stare at him open mouthed and I'm shocked when Embry breaks the silence, "Seriously Jake? You really think she's going to cook for you when you just ogled her like a piece of meat? Which by the way dude, she's my brothers' woman who is also MY future sister in law and I _will_ help him kick your ass if you disrespect her again. So not only did you just openly in front of Sam and the whole pack give his woman the once over, but you also implied that she was dressed like a slut, AND if all of that wasn't bad enough, you also pointed out to the whole pack that her high beams were popping. I'm sorry man that's 3 strikes, make yourself a pop tart or something and be grateful that Sam hasn't gone for your jugular."

I inhale the sweet scent of Bella's hair as I say, "Hey Jake?"

"Uh, yeah Sam?" I smirk a little, "congratulations man, you've won patrol for the whole day today, and when you've finished your patrol at 8 o'clock tonight you're going to come back here and apologize to Bella and also to Charlie for disrespecting her. If you're lucky enough to have them forgive you then you can have dinner here. After which you're on Quil watch for the night, which means parked in the woods outside of his house or the store or wherever else he might be for the whole night. Do not make me give you an Alpha command on any of this shit Jake. Future Alpha or not _I'm_ top dog right now and I'm in charge and if you disrespect my relationship or my woman or both at the same time ever again I will rip you apart, are we clear?"

He gulps a little and nods before stammering out, "Yeah Sam, we're crystal. I think I'll just go grab something at my place and start my patrol. I'm really sorry Bella, I'll be here at 8." She dismisses him with a wave, "sure, sure Jake bye"

The rest of the morning went without incident; Paul went to do his job at the Clearwater's, Jake was out on patrol, Jared was on Quil watch, and Embry chilled with Bella and me.

****Bella POV****

Sam decided he was going to set up the grill so I went into the kitchen and started to put together a salad and set the table, "Embry, you're going to stay for lunch right?" He looked up from the Xbox game he was playing and said, "sure Bella if it's alright with you and Sam."

I looked at him sort of confused, "why wouldn't it be alright with Sam? And I have no say Em, I don't live here, I'm a guest just like you." Sam came back in to get some lighter fluid and settled it saying, "Em you're staying, you're part of my family and you're always welcome here, don't ever think you have to ask to stay here. B you are not just a guest here. This is your home too, maybe just on weekends for now, neither of us might be ready for forever just yet but we are forever B. I love you and this is your home as well as mine. Okay?"

I nod and smile at him as I go back to washing vegetables it's nice to know that he considers me and Em his family. I know that Sam is my forever and I know he thinks that we're not ready for that but he's only half right, the only thing that is standing in the way of us being ready is my still being in high school, I think if I was out neither of us would be so serious about taking our relationship slowly.

Dad arrived at about 12:45 and rang the bell; Sam answered it and had him follow him out to the yard to get a beer. Embry helped me set the table on the back porch and brought out the condiments. I had made a pitcher of lemonade and I poured out a couple of glasses for Embry and I and turned to ask Sam, "Hon do you want lemonade or are you going to have beer with Dad?"

He replied, "I'll take the lemonade B, thanks." He brings over the plate with burgers and hot dogs and sets it in the middle of the table, before he takes the seat to my left and Dad takes the seat to my right.

I turn to Charlie and say, "Dad, you know Embry right?" He answers, "Yeah he's over at Billy's with Jake a lot, and I know his mother from back in the day." Embry nods and takes another hot dog off the plate.

Sam finishes his first burger and takes another off the plate, "Hey Charlie do you want to stay and watch the late afternoon game and have dinner with us? I kind of need you here if you don't have anything else you need to do."

Charlie looked understandably confused as he answered, "I'm free and that sounds great, better than cooking for myself back at the house since I'm sure Bells is staying over here again tonight but what did you need me for?"

Sam looked a little uncomfortable as he replied; "Well we sort of had an incident this morning. Jake came in while Bella was cooking breakfast for all of us in her pajamas which I might add are perfectly decent pajamas and not at all indecent. Well he comes in goes over to the stove and kisses her on the cheek which she already is kind of uncomfortable with but as he's doing it he's giving her a good once over. Bella of course calls him on it and asks him what his deal is. Jake has the nerve to tell her he's a hormonal teenage boy and she can't blame him when she's the one wearing practically nothing and that it looks like it's cold. Bella got really embarrassed and put a sweatshirt on and came back and tore Jake a new one and then refused to cook him breakfast and I gave him a whole day patrol and also told him off for disrespecting her and our relationship. Well part of his punishment is he has to come here after his patrol at 8 and apologize to both you and Bella for disrespecting her and only if both of you choose to forgive him can he have dinner here and then he has to go on Quil watch for the night."

Charlie looks torn between pissed and amused, "I have to say you run a tight ship with these guys, I guess he'll think twice the next time he goes to make some smart ass comment."

The rest of lunch passed quickly and comfortably. It surprised me and made me really happy that Sam and Charlie got along so well.

**A/N: This is as good a place as any to stop. It's getting kind of long. Leave some love! Hope to have another chapter up tomorrow. **


	16. Damn Quil's Timing!

**A/N: Stephanie Meyer owns Twilight and all the characters therein I just play with them. I figured out today that the site had my PMs disabled so I enabled them so if I reply to a review from you and you want to reply back now you can. **

****Bella POV later that evening** **

Have I ever mentioned that I find baseball really boring? Well I do. I brought Sam and Dad out another beer and settled next to Dad on the couch as Jake came in. He stopped short as he saw Charlie glaring at him, "You have something to say to me Son?"

Jake stammered and stuttered as he got his bearings I don't think he actually expected Sam or I to tell Charlie what had happened. "Well, you see, I don't know. I'm really sorry Bella, I don't know what came over me, I know that you've been really clear about not liking me as anything more than a friend and I get the imprint thing I really do. Charlie I'm sorry that I was disrespectful to Bella you know that I have loved her pretty much my whole life but I can't blame her for my feelings or for hers. I can promise all of you that it won't happen again. Bells you're my best friend or I hope you still are. Please forgive me?"

Charlie and I looked at each other I raised my eyebrows as if to say _well?_ Charlie nods at me before saying, "Jake you know that I've always thought of you as a son. It would have made both Billy and I very happy if you two had wound up together but some things are not meant to be. You have your own imprint or whatever it is you all call it out there Jake, how are you going to see her if you don't let go of Bells? Now I'm going to keep this between us this time but if something like this happens again you and I are going to have a long sit down with Billy because I know he and your mother raised you to be respectful of women and other people in general. All is forgiven this time. Now what are we doing for dinner?"

I went and gave Jake a hug saying, "Of course you're still my best friend Jake and I forgive you for this morning, Dad's right though, how do you expect to find the girl who will be your everything when you're not looking for her?" I pause and look around at them before saying; "I'm not cooking dinner so you guys can decide between pizza or Chinese takeout. I'm going to go out to the yard for a while. Dad you know what I like so go ahead and order for me okay?"

****Sam POV****

Ok, that was strange; I'm not sure why B is going outside but I figure if she had wanted me to come she would have asked. Today has been pretty cool Embry hung around till about 2 when his mom called and asked me to send him home. Charlie and I had actually really gotten to know each other over the course of the games, I think it helped a little that B kept bringing him beer. We decided on Chinese takeout and I let Charlie know what I wanted and he called it in.

Jake poured himself some soda and I decided to go see what B was doing, I put money on the table and told Charlie to let me pick it up and headed outside. I find Bella sitting on the porch swing smoking what I can now smell is a joint, "Honey you do realize your dad, the chief of police, is right inside right?"

She passes it to me and replies, "yeah I know, I figured he's distracted though by playoff baseball and he's not a wolf so he won't smell it through the door. So I figured I'd just start it, take a couple of hits to take the edge off, and then clip it. I guess the weirdness of the whole situation finally set in and I was just feeling a little edgy."

I wrap my arm around her shoulder and clip the joint and put it into my pocket once I'm sure it's out. She lays her head on my shoulder and I just hold her a bit, it's been a long day and I can't really blame her. She probably feels more on edge because it's my house, she spent the night, and now her dad is here. Although by that logic I'm the one who should be out here being a secret stoner.

I hear the doorbell ring and tell her, "food's here." She nods and kisses my neck softly and says, "okay I'll be ready in a second, look, I know I didn't say this earlier when you said it when you were telling me and Embry that this is our home too and that we're your family but I love you too Sam. I want you to know that I consider you a huge part of my family too."

Hearing Bella say she loves me is pretty much the best thing I've ever heard, I hadn't expected her to say it back before when I had said it to her and I hadn't been surprised or hurt when she didn't. I turn and look deep into her big brown eyes, "It means a lot to me to know you feel that way B, I know it's fast but I guess with the imprint we don't have to question our feelings the way most new couples do."

She smiles and stands up holding her hand out to me, I take it and stand up and we walk back into the house. Charlie and Jake are in the living room with their takeout containers and chopsticks, B and I joined them and most of the meal was spent with us guys yelling at the TV as Bella just rolled her eyes at how serious men take sports.

****Bella POV****

Jake headed out for his night patrol around 9:30 followed shortly after by Charlie who left with plans for Sam to join him and Billy fishing the next weekend. It was really sweet of Sam to want to spend time with my dad, and also really sweet of Dad to want to spend time with Sam. I head into the bedroom and grab my bag from the corner. Sam comes in as I'm pulling out a clean set of pajamas. He sits down on the bed and I go into the bathroom to change. I wash my face and change clothes bringing out the dirty ones and throwing them in the bag.

I come out and Sam is back on the bed but he's changed into a pair of sleep pants and is lounging with no shirt. I go and sit next to him my back against the headboard. It's still pretty early for a weekend, only around 10:30, but it's our last night together for the week so I really just want to spend it cuddled up with him. He stands up and opens the window wide and then goes over to his jacket and takes something out of the pocket. He comes and sits back down and takes his lighter from the night stand and lights what I now see is the joint that I had rolled earlier.

He hits it and passes it to me he holds the smoke and exhales as I pass the joint back to him. I look at him, "So this is our last night for the week." He gets a sort of sad look in his eye, "Yeah I know. It's going to be hard to be without you in my bed till next Friday but I'll try to get over to see you at least a couple of times before then. Are you going to head out early tomorrow or hang around for the day?"

I smile, "you better get over to see me! I'll probably hang around till mid afternoon if that's cool with you." He nods and hands me back the joint. I hit it and pass it back and he puts it in the ashtray on his nightstand and turns to me. Sam takes my face in his hands and kisses me softly; I suck his bottom lip and slide my tongue into his mouth deepening the kiss.

His hands ghost over my shoulders as he kisses me harder and more passionately. I place my hands over his that are now holding my hips and gently slide them up till he's cupping my breasts. He starts gently rubbing my nipples through my thin top and I moan a little into his mouth. He moves us so that I'm lying on top of him, I grind my hips against him and I can feel his hard on pressing against me through our pajama bottoms.

It feels so good I keep doing it as I tangle my hands in his hair nipping at his bottom lip as he lightly pinches my right nipple. I moan again and suck lightly on his tongue and now it's him who's moaning as he trails kisses down my neck.

Sam starts to flip us over and I shake my head, he freezes and has this look on his face like he's gone too far too fast and has no idea how it happened. He looks at me trying to figure out if I'm upset. I smile at him and lean in to kiss his neck; I take my time just brushing my lips lightly over his skin up to his ear where I bite lightly before moving back down to his neck.

I kiss my way down to his chest, running my hands over his abs and up over his pecs. Sam is definitely hot; I never understood the phrase 'built like a brick shit house' until right this minute. I lightly flick my tongue over his nipple and he inhales sharply, I inhale the scent of his skin it's woodsy and masculine with a crispness that I associate with soap.

His hands are fists clenched at his sides and I look at him quizzically, "something wrong?" He laughs and replies, "Fuck no, B, I'm just trying to keep myself from throwing you down and having my way with you." I laugh and say "Oh." He pulls me to him and kisses me it's passionate and somehow calm.

We continue just heavily making out until in the distance I hear a howl, I feel Sam stiffen against me as he drags his mouth away from mine and says, "**Fuck!** Why did it have to be now?" I start to panic and ask, "Sam what's going on?"

He cups my face and gives me a soft kiss, "no Baby that's Jakes howl, I think Quil has finally joined the pack."

**Ok ok I know I'm being mean. This is the shortest chapter yet and I'm leaving it on a cliffy but this chapter has given me hell! I actually had all intentions of putting a semi lemon in this chapter but it was giving me a fit because I want it to be classy and I'm afraid of making it too smutty. How do you guys feel about smut? I'm thinking of jumping forward in time with the next chapter and making it the Thanksgiving chapter but it probably won't be up for a few days. Let me know how you guys feel about a time jump and whether I should try to keep the lemons classy or just go for broke. Love all the support I get from you guys, sorry again for the short chap.**


	17. Halloween Party

**A/N: Stephanie Meyer owns Twilight and all characters therein I just play with them. I wanted to do a Halloween chapter so this is that, it'll most likely be followed by a Thanksgiving chapter, I'm sorry for the time skips for anyone who wasn't on board with that but if I don't skip around a little we'll never get to her graduation. **

****Sam POV October 30****th**** so a little over a month later ****

It had been a bit over a month since Quil had phased. The guys had nicknamed him cock block because they were all fairly certain Bella would have given it up that night if we hadn't been interrupted. Though they were very careful to never say that to him where she could hear them.

Things had been progressing nicely and I had high hopes for after my Halloween party tonight; the pack had already been told that no one was staying over and Jared was on DD duty.

I walked into my living room after patrol to find Bella on a stepladder hanging fake spider webs. Kim was on the other side of the room hanging black and orange streamers. I creep over and grab B swinging her over my shoulder as she screams with laughter, "Damn it Sam! Put me down!" she playfully hits me in the shoulder and I set her down on the ground. "So what's your costume baby girl?"

She shakes her head at me and smiles, "no way babe, you'll see it tonight just like everyone else!" I pout at her a little and she just laughs. Over the last month or so we've gotten much more comfortable with each other and with Bella's gentle prodding I had finally converted my moms old room into another guest room which Embry promptly took over.

Embry was with us more often than he was home most times. His mom had finally copped to the fact that he was in fact my real half brother like we had thought. I remembered that night.

_Embry busted through the door like a DEA agent on a raid I dropped the bowl I was hitting and Bella screamed and covered her head. When I finally regained the power of speech I bellowed out, "What the fuck man!" That's when I noticed he was crying…Shit. _

"_Embry man what's wrong?" He was pacing back and forth and finally he just yelled, "that fucking BITCH!" and dropped into the recliner by the door. I could see him shaking visibly and out of the corner of my eye I saw Bella approaching him. I grabbed her around her waist and said, "No, B! He's going to phase, let me get him outside!"_

_I grabbed him by the arm and dragged him through the kitchen and out the door and basically kicked him into the forest just as he exploded into fur. I stripped off and phased in, '__**dude you want to tell me what the fuck is going on?' **_

_He flashed me an image of his mother telling him it wasn't his fucking business who his father was and that he hadn't ever been a father to him and why did it matter so much to him. _

_He had just goggled at her for a moment before screaming at her that it was his business he had a right to know and that he had 3 friends who's fathers were likely candidates for his paternity and that all 3 of our dads had been married with families and we deserved to know the truth as well. That's when Charlie had busted in the front door asking what the fuck was going on. _

_Kay gave him the abbreviated version and told him that everything was fine and that no one in their house had called for the police. Charlie sighed and told Embry to go to my house, which was when he busted in __**'I'm sorry about scaring you and Bell half to death Sam, if your door is broken I'll pay for the replacement**__.'_

_I replied '__**Don't worry about it kid, I'm sure Charlie will straighten everything out, lets go back to the house and see if B has any food around.' **_

_We headed back and I tossed him a pair of shorts from the bin I kept on my porch and when he had pulled them on we headed into the house. We received a pretty big shock when we walked into the kitchen to find Kay Call and Charlie Swan having coffee in my kitchen, as Bella set out a tray of muffins still warm from the oven. _

_Bella went back into the other room and Charlie asked Em and I to sit down. We sat and Kay said, "Em, honey I'm sorry. I know that you are right that you and your friends have a right to know the truth about whose father is also your father. Well I have no choice in the matter I guess seeing as Charlie says if I don't tell you he will. I just didn't want you to look at me and see a home wrecker or a whore, son. I love you more than anything and I just didn't want you to think ill of me. Joshua Uley is your father, I know that you and Sam have been assuming that anyway but I'll confirm it now. I didn't know that he was married; I'm sorry Sam for what it must have done to your Mom. I had no idea he had a child either until I moved down here from Makah after he ran off on me when I told him I was pregnant. I was young and stupid but I always wanted you Em with or without Josh I wanted you my baby boy." _

_We just sat and stared at her stunned. I finally broke the silence, "Kay no one here thinks that you are a home wrecker or a whore. Yes my father was technically married but he hadn't been even a part time father or husband for over a year before he left us for good. I honestly think my mom would have thanked you for taking him off her hands. He wasn't a good man, no matter how many people he may have duped into thinking otherwise at one time or another. Thank you for giving me a brother who I love. I knew he was my brother; he looks too much like the old man to not be."_

_Embry spoke up, "Mom I would never think you were a home wrecker or a whore I can't believe you thought that I could. The only thing that upsets me is that you made me grow up without my brother. You made us lose out on the last 16 years that we could have had a relationship. What makes me more upset is that if Charlie hadn't gotten involved out of his concern for Sam's right to know, you would have continued to hide it from us. I can't forgive you for that mom, not right away. I'm going to start spending more time over here and you need to accept it. I love you mom but it's going to take time for me to forgive you for keeping part of my family from me for my whole life just because you were too embarrassed to admit that you fell in love with someone who wasn't who you thought they were."_

**Bella POV**

I'm waving my hand in front of Sam's face and starting to worry that he's gone catatonic or something, "Sam? Sam? SAM!"

He jumps and says, "what? Sorry B I was just in my own little world I guess." I nod, "Yeah I could see that I've been calling you for the last five minutes, I thought you went catatonic or something."

Kim was helping me set up for our Halloween party. I was so excited, Kim and I had been talking all week and she had let me know that no one was going to be staying the night. I think Sam is planning on something, at least I hope he is. The night that Quil had phased for the first time I had been ready to go at least half way.

After that night though our alone time had been slim to nil. Em or the other guys were ALWAYS staying over, and while I loved them all to death I was **not **going to have my first time with a bunch of teenage wolves listening in. So when Kim said that Sam gave the other guys the word that no one would be able to stay at our place after the party I had made plans for a better costume.

I went back to setting up for the party and Sam helped me get the fake cobwebs into the places I couldn't reach. After everything had been set up I started getting the food set out, Sam had ordered a dozen pizzas to be delivered at around 8:30, so all I really had to do was set out chips and dip get the sodas all ready and set out the cupcakes and cookies I had made earlier in the day.

Everything was done by about 7 and I took my bag with my costume and all my makeup into what was now basically Embry's room to change. I had gone with a variation on sexy schoolgirl; I was really playing up the innocence factor but with an edge to it.

I had a fitted button down white t-shirt and was wearing it over my hot pink long sleeved fishnet top, the button down was cut so that it showed a little midriff and I was pairing it with my purple and black plaid pleated skirt, which was the longest skirt I owned. It came to just above my knees so it was fairly conservative I wore my regular knee high boots and did my hair up in high pigtails with little bows.

I was doing my makeup in the mirror just light shadow and a peachy blush to play up my own natural blush. I was leaned over the dresser applying my lip-gloss in the mirror when Sam came in, "Hey Be…" he actually stopped mid sentence and stared. He was wearing his regular worn in jeans with a fitted white tee. I smiled to myself and caught his eye in the mirror, "what's up Sam?"

He smirked a bit, "That's it! I'm cancelling the party, I'm going to have to beat all the guys asses once they get a look at you anyway I may as well just cancel it!" I roll my eyes but smile as I reply, "don't be ridiculous babe I didn't make cupcakes and cookies all morning for you to cancel the party and waste them!"

He was about to reply as the door opened and the guys came in, I followed him out to the living room and connected his iPod to the stereo and put it on shuffle. Jake came in and I was surprised to see him wearing some sort of werewolf costume. At least I was surprised until Janna, his imprint, came in behind him in some slutty red riding hood costume.

I wish I could say I liked the girl but she was so not what I could have seen for Jake, she was whiny and manipulative most of the time and when she wasn't being a whiny bitch she was being a bossy know it all. Like just because she was with Jake it meant she was Alpha bitch or something and that was not flying with me.

For one thing Kim had been an imprint the longest and I deferred to her experience but Janna just thought she knew everything about everything. Jake had tried to get her to tone it down but the imprint made it pretty much impossible for him to do anything but go along with her. He had told her that he never had any intention of taking Alpha over from Sam and that as far as the pack was concerned I was their Alpha's mate and she had to play nice. She had thrown it back that even if he was never Alpha he was going to be Chief and as the Chief's mate I should show her proper respect.

I honestly didn't know what her deal with me was and why she was so unpleasant to me especially but I think it had to do with the fact that Jake had been in love with me for so long before meeting her and she liked to throw it in my face that he loved her now. Though why she thought that bothered me I will never fucking know. Most of the pack hated her although Quil thought she was super hot but I think he was the only one who wasn't questioning Taha Aki's judgment where this particular imprint was concerned.

Sam had actually gone so far as to ask Billy if anything like this had ever happened before where an imprint was so unpleasant that the whole pack and other imprints disliked her. Billy had sighed and said he had been scouring the texts but he hadn't come across this particular problem before but that he'd keep looking. Unfortunately it only served to isolate Jake more from the pack I was actually surprised that they had shown up. They made themselves comfortable on the loveseat and started making out.

Jared came in and grabbed a cupcake before dragging Kim over to dance. Sam sat on the sofa and I sat on his lap while he packed up the bowl. Paul and Quil came in together talking about their latest conquest. As I had thought Quil had quickly become Paul's wingman and the two hit the clubs like women were an endangered species. They saw me and both let out loud wolf whistles and exclaimed, "looking good Bells! Sam is a lucky wolf" I just laughed and waved them off as Sam passed me the bowl and I hit it.

The pizza's arrived at 8:30 on the dot and Sam collected money and paid the guy before carrying them into the kitchen, I followed him calling out behind me, "Ladies first you guys! Kim, Janna, come grab what you want before these animals get it"

The girls followed me into the kitchen and right away Janna starts pulling out her I'm the boss attitude, she opens one of the boxes and asks, "Why didn't Sam order a no cheese pie?" I kind of push her aside replying, "because only you would have wanted it and you only would have eaten half a slice and I'm sorry but Sam and the other guys don't have the money to throw food away like that Janna. Business is slow this time of year and ever penny counts, if you want a slice with nothing on it take a regular cheese slice and take the cheese off of it yourself"

She actually has the nerve to scoff at me as she says; "Well Jake would have paid for it if Sam had asked I'm not sure why I have to suffer because he's too proud to ask for help."

Now I'm pissed, Jakes imprint or not this bitch is not going to come into my man's home and put him down, "Look Janna first off Sam did ask the other guys to chip in, second, I don't know where you think Jake gets money from because you know he doesn't have a job. The council gives the guys a stipend but that only goes so far and it's supposed to be used for things that their families need not for frivolous shit for you. You may be Jake's imprint but I swear on my father's name that if you don't drop the attitude right fucking now I will beat the living crap out of you and if you ever come into my man's house and talk down on him again I won't even warn you before I drop your ass. Don't forget Bitch, Jake isn't Chief yet but Sam sure as fuck IS Alpha, and that's not changing any time soon."

She scowls as she storms out to the living room and grabs Jake who is staring wide eyed at us both and demands to leave. He follows her out and the rest of us breathe a collective sigh of relief, I take my pizza out to the couch and try to relax. I really fucking hate that bitch. Sam comes and sits next to me with 4 slices on his plate. We finish our food and he tosses our plates before he drags me up to dance to Nonpoint's Bullet With a Name. Paul and Quil are playing Halo as Jared dances with Kim who catches my eye and gives me a thumbs up.

Embry left to take a quick patrol and came back in a foul mood, I disengaged from Sam and sat next to him asking, "What's wrong Em?" He frowns at me a little and says, "it's really nothing B I just heard Janna running her mouth to Jake and I'm so sick of her! She makes me not want to imprint because what if I get one like her instead of one like you and Kim?"

I make a soothing noise as I rub his shoulder lightly and say, "Em you can't think like that! I have no idea what the Spirits were thinking when they chose Janna for Jake but she has to have been given to him for a reason. Maybe one day we'll be lucky enough to understand but until then we have to at least TRY to accept her. Trust me the Spirit's would not be so cruel as to curse us with more than one like her, Em. I'm sure that whoever your imprint is she's a lovely person and we'll all love her."

He perked up and joined Paul and Quil on the Xbox while I hoped to all the Spirit's that they wouldn't stick us with another Janna. Sam came over and I took my boots off as I cuddled up with him.

After Paul had creamed both Em and Quil at Halo we put on Rob Zombie's Halloween and all cringed our way through it, we decided to put the second one in and the party finally started to wind down around midnight. Jared and Kim were the first to go and Kim made a big show of asking me to help her find her coat.

We walked into the room they usually used and it was lying right on the bed so I knew she didn't really need help she turned to me and asked, "So you're going for it tonight right?"

I blushed a little but nod, "yeah, definitely. I'm on the pill, that works right?" She nods, "yeah it does and it's good you're on it because barrier methods don't because of their high temps. You just have to be extra careful about taking it when you're supposed to." I hug her and say, "Thanks so much Kim for being here for me to talk to about all this!" She laughs and replies, "just be glad you weren't the first imprint! I had to have this talk with Billy and Harry!" I shuddered and hugged her a little tighter for having to have gone through that.

We walk back out to the living room and everyone is gone except for Jared and Sam. Kim hurries Jared out the door and it's just Sam and I now. I start to put away dips and empty out chip containers but Sam comes up behind me and wraps his arms around my waist.

He kisses the side of my neck sucking lightly on it as he twirls my right pigtail around his finger saying, "Leave that B, I'll clean it up in the morning baby girl." I turn to face him and he lifts me up so that I'm sitting on the counter and gives me a gentle kiss.

His tongue parts my lips and I lightly suck on it as I gently stroke the back of his neck. His hair has gotten slightly longer and I lightly tug on it as he kisses me harder and more passionately. I wrap my legs around his waist as he streaks his hands up over my breasts squeezing gently. I lightly nip his bottom lip as he brings his hands down to cup my ass and lift me off the counter. He carries me into our bedroom and sits down on the bed.

I break our kiss and stand up in front of him. He reaches for me but I shake my head and say, "no touching Sam, just watch."

I turn on the tv and turn it to one of the music channels that plays an alternative hard rock mix and turn back to him. I move to the music as I slowly pop the buttons on my shirt. I work my way back closer to him and put his hands on my hips as I slide the shirt off and drop it on the floor leaving me in my black lace bra underneath my fishnet shirt. Sam pulled me in so that I was straddling him with my knees on the bed and he started kissing my neck gently sucking and nibbling. I was shivering and moaning softly as he pushed my shirt up over my bra and kneaded my breasts.

He was gently brushing his thumbs over the cups and I reached down and undid my skirt. I stepped back and let it fall to the floor as I took off the fishnet shirt and threw it aside. Sam pulled me back to him and reached around and undid my bra. He slid the straps down and pulled it away and dropped it on the floor. I instinctively covered my breasts with my arms and he shook his head and said, "none of that B"

He gently took a hold of my arms and held them by my sides as he looked at my breasts and said, "Why would you want to hide these beautiful tits from me?"

He pulls me in closer and lays me down on the bed as he sucks gently on my neck. I moan and he moves lower he's laying feather light kisses on my chest as he gently rolls my nipples between his thumb and forefinger. I arch against him and he takes my left nipple into his mouth. I gasp as he alternately sucks and licks it while pinching the other one. He moves back up and kisses me passionately sucking and biting at my bottom lip and then sweeping his tongue over mine.

I reach between us and pull his shirt up and off him and throw it to the side. I run my hands all over his chest and down to his abs before moving to his belt and undoing it and tossing it off the bed. I undo his jeans and find that he's naked underneath them. I reach in and gently stroke his hard cock, it's the biggest I've ever felt and for a second I'm afraid.

Sam senses my hesitation and asks, "B? Are you okay? If you want to stop honey, we can." He's looking at me with such love and concern and I smile at him as I say, "No I don't want to stop Baby I'm just not sure how exactly all of that is going to fit in me."

He laughs and says, "Don't worry honey it'll be fine I promise. I'm going to do my best not to hurt you any more than I have to B, I love you."

I reach up and bring his face closer to mine and kiss him hard I nip at his lip before sweeping my tongue over it, he moves back down to my neck sucking and licking at it as he lightly nips his way back down to my tits. He sucks on my nipple and pinches the other one lightly and I'm on fire all I want is to feel him my panties are soaked with my desire for him. He strokes his hand lightly down over my stomach until he reaches the top of my black panties. I close my eyes and moan as I feel his fingertips graze over my pussy through the material, the whole crotch is soaked with my arousal and I hear him inhale deeply. "Fuck you smell good B, I can't wait to find out if you taste as good as you smell."

I jump as I feel his nose press against the material and he inhales again before he starts to slowly pull my panties down my thighs. He tosses them to the side and I feel his fingers on my inner thighs it tickles lightly and I bring my knees up instinctively. Sam's fingers are tracing my outer lips and the light tickle feels so good. He dips his fingers into my inner lips and brushes over my clit making me jump and moan softly.

He gently caresses my clit with his finger tips while gently sliding one finger from his other hand into my pussy, I can feel my pussy tighten on his finger and I moan and am a little surprised to hear him moan too. I let out a breath and moan out, "Fuck, Sam, that feels so good."

I jump a little as I feel his breath on my pussy and then moan as he drags his tongue up the length of my slit. He does this a couple of times and I moan in approval. He holds my legs spread and rubs his tongue softly over my clit. He starts to work up a rhythm and I cry out as he adds a finger to my pussy while he gently sucks on my engorged clit.

I let out a loud moan as he flicks his tongue fast over my clit while gently pumping his finger in and out of me and he pushes me over the edge when he sucks it into his mouth and curls his finger up hitting a spot inside of me that drives me crazy. I buck my hips against his face and call out his name as I cum.

Sam moves up my body and kisses me passionately as he lines his throbbing dick up to my pussy and starts to work it inside of me slowly inch by inch. It feels so fucking good and I buck my hips a little trying to get more but he holds my hips down as he breaks our kiss and looks at me as he pulls back so that only the head is inside. He brings one hand up and brushes my face gently as he whispers, "I love you Bella" and he thrusts inside of me.

For a split second I see stars and all I feel is a throbbing ache but it fades quickly and I kiss his neck and say, "I love you too Sam, you can move now the pain is gone."

He thrusts in and out slowly and gently as I moan and babble incoherently. All I can feel is Sam, inside of me, and all around me. He pulls out and thrusts slowly back in and I rake my nails down his back and beg "Faster Baby." He speeds up and we're both moaning my pleasure is building and he's moaning against my neck, "Fuck baby, so tight, so wet, Bella, my Bella."

I thrust my hips to meet his strokes and as he pushes me over the edge again I cry out his name, it's the only thing I can say is his name over and over as he makes me cum again and again.

After what feels like hours of pleasure Sam stiffens and I feel the warmth of his cum spurt inside of me as he groans my name and collapses careful not to land on top of me, he gathers me in his arms and we drift into unconsciousness.

**A/N: Okay so I hope you guys liked the lemon it's my first one so let me know how you felt about it whether you liked it or hated it. I know some of you are gunna be pissed that Jake ended up with the bitch imprint but don't worry that shit will work itself out too. Leave some love. We're probably going to skip from Halloween to Thanksgiving with the next chapter so that I can get Paul's and Embry's imprints out of the way. **


	18. Happy Thanksgiving Pt 1

**A/N: Stephanie Meyer owns Twilight and all characters therein. Wow, thank you guys so much for all the reviews for Ch. 17! That was the most reviews for a single chapter so far. I really meant to have this chapter up before I went away last Friday but it just didn't happen. Ok I'm not sure how old Jakes sisters were in Twilight so I just made them a year older than Bella so Rachel is 19 and she finished her 4 year degree in 2 and a half yrs by going year round and taking extra classes each semester. **

****Sam POV Thanksgiving Day****

I think I'm watching B lose her mind… She's been planning this dinner for the last couple of weeks and wants it to be perfect. She knows that we don't really celebrate but in her mind it's just another excuse for a big pack get together. The reason she's losing her mind is once again Jake's imprint is being a bitch; Bella had called Billy and invited him and Jake up to her Dad's and he had accepted on both his and Jake's behalf. Bella was going to cook everything from scratch and basically she looked at it as our first major family holiday and she wanted to have everyone there.

Well as soon as Jake brought it up to Janna the fight broke out with Janna wanting to know why it was automatically assumed that Bella would host and why wasn't she asked to host. Jake told her that as Alpha I was looked at as sort of the head of the family so to speak and it just made sense that since Bell and I lived together at least part time that she would be the one to host big holiday stuff. This led to another fight between the two of them about Jakes refusal to take on Alpha and the fact that he had another 2 years before he was made Chief.

Janna's problem is that her father is a lawyer and her mother is a doctor and they're basically the richest people on the res, the only reason they live on the res is that they wanted to give back to their people. They did _not_ raise Janna with those beliefs though; they raised her to want to get off the res marry a rich man and be a socialite wife. Needless to say they were unhappy with her decision to become seriously involved with Jake but the fact that he was next in line to be Chief did manage to soften the blow for them some.

So now I'm watching Bella try to keep her cool as she's cooking and Janna is in the kitchen going behind her back and adding stuff to the food and criticizing everything B does. I sigh as I get up and head in someone has to put this bitch in her place and it's clear that B is too frazzled to do it.

"Janna can I speak to you?" She huffs as she acknowledges me, "What Sam? I'm trying to show Bella how to do this."

"Janna I don't think that Bella particularly wants or needs your help and I need to ask you to go out and sit with Jake. Why don't you try to get to know Rachel in the time that she's here? She is going to be your family one day." I try to get the right mix of authority and annoyance in my voice so that maybe she'll stop arguing.

No such luck, "Look Sam if Bella doesn't want my help that's her loss because the way she's going now this dinner is going to be an epic fail, and if Rachel wants to get to know me she can get off her butt and come in and help us"

I take a deep breath and start to majorly lose my cool, "Listen to me you spoiled self indulgent bitch! I have had enough of your attitude problem; you think you're better than all of us because Mommy and Daddy have money? Guess what? You aren't. You, just like the rest of us are going to be stuck on the Res until you die. It's unfortunate isn't it that all of Mommy and Daddy's dreams for you have been lost and really it's not so unfortunate for you as it's unfortunate for the rest of us who have to be around you.

I'm going to tell you some hard truths little girl and you better listen and listen good. For starters Bella cooks better on her worst day than you do on your best; the few times you have made breakfast for the guys none of us actually ate it except for Jake and he got sick later. You know how bad shit has to be for a werewolf to get sick on it? It has to be pretty fucking disgusting.

Second if you loved Jake you would make an effort to treat his family the way he treats yours, with respect! Rachel hasn't been home in almost a year and you think that she should spend the time that she is here trying to kiss your ass? God the saddest thing about this whole situation is the fact that you have the non imprinted guys so scared that they may end up with a bitch like you who treats everyone around them like garbage that they try to avoid looking women in the eye now!"

I feel myself shaking and I'm suddenly thrown out B's backdoor and into the woods just as I burst into my wolf.

'_God damn it I don't have extra clothes here!'_ I think as suddenly Jake slams into me and tries to take a chunk out of me _'What the fuck were you thinking Sam? You could have really hurt her!' _Jakes is pissed but I'm surprised that his wolf isn't trying to kill me for almost hurting his imprint all the same I just growl and stand my ground

'_I'm sorry Jake but I'm so fucking sick of her attitude! She's so fucking jealous of the fact that Bella is the Alpha's mate that she treats her like shit at every turn it doesn't matter to her that half the time she does it she's in OUR HOME! The imprint is clouding your judgment or you would see that the way she treats people is inexcusable!'_

At this I get a flash of something strange but he quickly conceals it, _'Jake? What was that?'_

He whines a little but shows me himself reading the texts and tearing out one of the pages very carefully, '_I think there is something wrong with my imprint Sam.' _

My mind is seriously boggled right now, _'what do you mean __**wrong with the imprint**__?' _

He paces back and forth under the trees, '_According to the texts once in a great while a wolf will imprint on a woman who is so unpleasant that her presence starts to tear the pack apart. It's thought that in this instance something will have gone wrong with the process and that the woman is not actually the one that the wolf was meant to have imprinted on. _

_When I met Janna she was with a group of 4 other girls. I was shaking one girls hand and I felt this electricity at her touch, it was like a hum and as I looked up to meet her eyes Janna shoved her out of the way and I met her eyes instead but I was still holding the first girls hand and that's when I imprinted. _

_When I'm a wolf I hardly ever think about Janna, it's like my wolf doesn't know her. Doesn't acknowledge her as the one he chose. But when I'm a man it's like what you have described feeling for Bella that insane urge to protect and love. The only difference is that I have never felt the urge to mark her the way that you and Jared have described having a near compulsion to mark your mates during sex, it's almost like something is missing for me. That's the best way I can describe it.'_

At this point I'm just gaping at him like a damn fish out of water but it dawns on me, _'Jake, I think I understand what happened. The other girl, she was supposed to be your imprint. The problem is that you touched her before you looked in her eyes, so your wolf was primed to imprint, it thought that the right girl was right in front of you but then Janna pushed her and it was her eyes you looked in. The kicker was that you were still TOUCHING your real imprint! _

_All this time we thought that the look was the only way to tell, but your body recognizes her too. Jared and I had never touched Kim or Bella in any way prior to looking them in the eye; if we had we probably would have felt this electricity too. It was like a perfect storm of bad luck Jake.'_

He snorted half amused and half disgusted as he thought, '_Tell me about it I have the bitch imprint no one likes and she's not even supposed to be my imprint! The text says I can break it Sam, I just have to meet my real imprint again and be touching Janna as I look into her eyes and touch her in some way, it will break the bond that I have with Janna and establish the true imprint. How can I do that to her with her knowing all our secrets though Sam? Do you really think that Janna will take that very well?' _

It's my turn to snort derisively because yeah I can just see that going over like shit flavored lip-gloss. Janna would definitely not take it lying down but something had to be done. '_We're going to have to have a council meeting about this Jake. All of us, along with the Elders will have to sit down and try to make some sort of a plan. _

_This shit is going to hit the fan big time but none of us and especially you don't deserve to have to live your life with that bitch Jake. Look Man we'll figure it out I promise. Until we do though try to spend as little time with her as possible, and stop having sex with her Jake._

_I mean that, don't make me give you an order on it, if you're going to end up hurting her you may as well start distancing yourself now. Do me a favor and when you phase back call Paul and tell him to pick me up a set of clothes before he comes down here okay? Tell Bella I'll be in when he gets here.' _

He nods and gives me his standard '_sure sure' _before phasing back and pulling his clothes on heading back into B's

****Bella POV****

I look up as Jake comes in the back door, he nods at me reassuringly and tells me, "Sam will be back when Paul gets here Bells. He shredded his clothes and didn't bring any spares."

I nod and roll my eyes at Janna who is pouting in the corner. I'm surprised when I see Jakes eyes harden as he looks at her she turns and sees him pretty much glaring at her and he just says, "come on, I'm going to take you home" She looks surprised and follows him out the back door. I finish up the prep work and check on the turkey again as Rachel comes in, "Hey Bells, do you need any help with anything?"

I smile at her and say, "nah, why don't you come in and sit down. Tell me all about Seattle, do you love it? Are you dating anyone?"

She came in and sat at the table and I got her a can of soda and sat down with her as she replies, "I do like Seattle but I'm home for the foreseeable future. I just graduated with my degree in early education and I'm going to try to get a job down at La Push. I miss my Dad, and I feel like I owe it to Jake to come home and pitch in, he's so young.

Bex and I just booked it as soon as we could because it hurt so much to be there without mom but that was so selfish of us I mean we just left Jake there he wasn't even 14 yet and we just left him to deal with everything on his own. Bex can't get back more than once a year or so because of her husbands work and the kids and I know it kills dad to have grandkids he hardly ever sees. I want to be there with them."

I had put my hands over Rachel's as she spoke just letting her know I understood. I was glad that she at least acknowledged that she left Jake holding the bag so to speak. I had kept in touch with Bex over the years through letters and e-mail and I knew she hadn't been home in over 2 years; she blamed it on not wanting to travel with 2 small children but I knew that it was more that she just couldn't go back to La Push. I had asked her once if she missed her dad and Jake and her answer of 'honestly Bella most days I don't even think about them.' had nearly sent me into shock.

Suddenly Rachel smirked at me asking, "so how long have you been with Sam, Bella?" I laughed and waved my hands a little, "we've been together a little more than 2 months we started seeing each other about a week after my birthday. He's so great, dad loves him, and they go fishing together like every other week!"

As I finished my sentence the back door opened and Paul came into the kitchen with Sam behind him, Paul made it 3 steps before he stopped short staring at Rachel in shock and looking like he was choking on air.

Sam didn't realize that Paul had stopped short and he crashed into his back and sent both of them to the floor. Sam lay there dazed for a moment as Rachel and I laughed then he shoved Paul off him and got up cursing, "What the fuck Paul? Did you lose control of your brain to the little people? Hello? Are you broken?" He was waving his hand in front of Paul's eyes as Paul had not gotten up off the floor and also hadn't managed to tear his eyes off of Rachel. Sam followed his gaze and upon seeing Rachel his face broke into the biggest shit-eating grin I had ever seen and he burst into laughter.

He laughed hysterically for like 10 minutes, he was practically turning purple and Paul finally ripped his gaze away from Rachel and snarled at Sam, "What the fuck are you laughing at you fucker?"

Of course my dad and Billy picked that exact moment to come into the kitchen to explore the source of the hysterics. Which as soon as Paul called him a fucker Sam had started laughing louder and was now leaning against my fridge practically doubled over and howling laughter with tears running down his face.

Dad looked at Sam like he had gone insane before coming to wrap his arm around my shoulders, "looks like Sammie has lost his marbles Bells, I hope we don't have to have him committed" I just blinked up at him for a minute before bursting into laughter myself.

Billy finally had had it and shouted, "ENOUGH!" I reigned it in with little difficulty but it was 5 minutes at least before Sam made it down to the occasional chuckle and snort as he wiped tears from his face and came over and wrapped his arm around me pulling me to him and kissing my cheek. Billy sighed and rolled his eyes, "Now, can you please tell me what has you in here laughing like a lunatic Sam?"

Sam coughed and took a deep breath looking at Paul, "Actually Billy I think I'll let Paul tell you, it's really his news!" and he actually started to shake with mirth as he tried to hold in another laughing fit.

Paul scowled at Sam and mumbled something I couldn't hear but probably wouldn't like before he turned to Billy and mumbled what sounded like, "mmnted on yrdghter, Sir"

The 4 normal humans looked at him puzzled as Sam let out another shout of laughter and I elbowed him in his side as Billy said, "I'm sorry Son, I didn't catch that."

Paul took a deep breath and said, "I imprinted on your daughter, Sir"

Billy gasped in shock and my dad burst out laughing saying "Now you know how it feels old man!" This of course set Sam off again and this time he and my dad slapped hands as they headed into the living room.

Sam had barely gotten through the door when Rachel who I had practically forgotten was even there spoke up saying, "Why would this guy imprint?"

Sam froze and let out a loud "FUCK" as he turned back around and came back into the kitchen. Billy sighed and said, "Rachel, honey, what do you remember of our tribal legends?"

Rach thought about it and disbelief filled her face as she answered, "psh you are not trying to sell me the wolf stuff are you Daddy? I know you like a joke now and then but this is taking it too far Dad!"

Billy said, "Rachel, shake Paul's hand" She reached out and did as she was told and I heard her suck in her breath as she felt Paul's high temperature and I'm sure she felt a weird electricity because that's what I always feel when I hold hands with Sam or touch him in any way, like a low current is running through our skin.

I remembered the picture on my digital camera that I had taken of Jake the day we went shopping and picked it up off the counter, "Rachel you know how you were saying when you first got here that you couldn't believe Jake was so grown up already? Well I took this picture of him the day after my birthday. This was 3 days before he phased, a little over 2 months ago now." I showed her the picture and she gasped at the difference.

She looked at Billy and then at Paul and Sam and back, "so these two and Jake are wolves? And that one" She pointed at Paul, "That one imprinted on me?"

Paul nodded and I was surprised that they didn't have to explain to her what am imprint was as she said, "So you're my soul mate? I guess it's a good thing I moved back from Seattle huh?"

Billy chuckled, "Welcome to the family, Paul, you get to tell Jake that you imprinted on his sister."

Paul sighed at that and asked Rachel if she would go for a walk, she said yes but asked me how I was involved in all this, "I'm Sam's imprint I know it's very shocking, I'm a pale face blah blah blah." I said sarcastically but smiled to let her know I wasn't mad, "Sam's friend Jared Tompkins is also a wolf and Jakes friends Quil, and Embry I'm sure you remember them they round out the pack. Embry is actually Sam's half brother through his father.

Well until now Jared and Jake were the only other imprinted wolves, Jared was the first and his imprint is a girl named Kim Connors from La Push and she or I would definitely be glad to answer any questions you might have about anything though Kim's been an imprint the longest. Sam imprinted on me when our eyes met across the bonfire after my birthday, and Jake imprinted on Janna shortly before Halloween."

Rachel cut me off at this, "Are you serious? That bitch is my little brother's _imprint?_ How could the spirits do that to him!"

Sam cut her off mid tirade, "Actually Rachel, the spirits may not have…apparently Jacob's imprint is suspect."

At that statement we all gasped and I choked out, "What about the rest of us? Sam is our imprint suspect?"

He swore and scooped me up into his arms and murmured in my ear, "No Baby, there is nothing wrong with our imprint. This does not affect anyone's imprint aside from Jakes."

He sat down in one of the chairs still holding me on his lap and I lay my head on his shoulder as he spoke at a normal volume, "Apparently Jake was at First Beach one night after a bonfire and there were 4 girls in a group who he introduced himself to, he was shaking one girls hand and he felt the current that we all feel when we touch our imprints.

As he went to look into her eyes Janna shoved her out of the way and he looked in her eyes instead but he was still holding the other girls hand. Well from all we knew about the imprint the Look is always the first contact and it shows us the way.

Think about it though; Kim was handing Jared a pencil so he wasn't touching her or anyone else, he took the pencil and looked her in the eye bam imprint, Bella and I were 20 feet away from each other and I wasn't touching anyone else either I was sitting on a log next to Billy and looked up and BAM imprint. You guys were across the room from each other no other girl but Bella in the room and neither one of you was touching her were you?"

I answered, "No, I was holding Rachel's hand earlier but not for at least a few minutes before Paul even came in."

Sam looked relieved, "it makes sense though doesn't it? That maybe if we touch them first we recognize them that way? And then the Look is just backup, the neon sign if you will"

Paul nodded and the more I thought about it the more sense it made.

**A/N: this feels like a good place to leave off, I'm so sorry for the delay I really did mean to have it up before I went away.**


	19. Happy Thanksgiving Pt 2

**A/N: Stephanie Meyer owns twilight and all characters therein. This is the second half of the Thanksgiving chapter. **

****Bella POV****

Rachel and Paul had gone out the back door for their walk just as Jared and Kim were coming through the front. Kim came into the kitchen and Jared went to watch TV with the guys. I greeted Kim with a sisterly kiss on the cheek saying, "Oh my God Kim you have to sit down you will not believe what happened!"

She sat down in the seat that Rachel had vacated and said, "Wow Bella, I've never known you to be excited about gossip, you're acting like Jared, this must be big! What's going on?"

I sat down across from her, "Frankly, it's huge! I can't believe that Sam is just sitting out there and not saying anything to Jared!"

Just as I was about to say more Sam and Jared came into the kitchen and Sam interrupted, "Bella! Don't say anything yet! I don't want to have to explain again and again and again! When Jake gets back and Embry and Quil get here then we'll tell everyone the good news at once."

I pout my lip out at him and he just laughs as he leans in and takes a gentle nibble, I moan and deepen the kiss for a moment before pulling away, "Fine Sam, you win! I'll wait for everyone to get here. I just can't believe it Sam!"

By this time Jared is practically salivating, I swear I've never known a guy who was so obsessed with gossip and drama; he's such a girl! Kim and I laugh at the expression on his face as he exclaims, "Come on Sam! Tell me the news! You know I love gossip! This must be huge! Please, please tell me!"

Sam is looking at Jared like he's grown another head and he just shakes his head disgustedly as he says, "Dude, did you lose your dick and grow a pussy? What the fuck man! You can wait another 20 minutes! Embry and Quil will be here in 15 and then it shouldn't be too much longer till Jake gets back from taking bitch face home."

Kim perks up, "He took her home? That's AWESOME! We don't have to pretend to like her while taking her bullshit all night? FINALLY! Something to be thankful for!"

We all laugh as Kim dramatically falls on Jared's lap. The back door opens and Paul and Rachel come in holding hands and I see by the stunned look on both Kim and Jared's faces that that's another thing we forgot to mention.

Paul scowls a bit in their direction saying, "What the fuck are you two looking at?"

Jared looks like Christmas has come early as he says, "Did you? Please tell me you did! Oh my God! Is this what you weren't telling me Sam? _The _Paul Dixon! Eternal Ladies Man of La Push, Washington! The man who said he would never look another woman in the eye again! FINALLY IMPRINTED?"

The rest of us are practically on the floor laughing and Paul is looking torn between wanting to laugh and wanting to punch Jared. Finally he just pulls Rachel to him and chuckles as he says, "Yeah I imprinted, Rachel Black meet Kim Connors and Jared Tompkins, this is Jake's sister Rachel you guys. I really never thought this would happen. Ask Bell, I stopped short and looked like I was choking and then Sam laughed at me for about 15 minutes, you should have seen him, his face was purple and he was crying with it. But I think there's bigger news than me imprinting tonight man."

Sam cut in, "We're not talking about it yet! When Em, and Quil get here and Jake gets back we will talk about it. We're going to have to have a meeting with the Elder's before we come to a decision on how to go about it anyway."

Jared and Kim looked confused but nodded. The timer on the oven went off signaling that everything was ready, I had the guys go make sure the big table I had set up was ready and the girls and I started getting everything ready to bring everything out.

Em and Quil came in with Jake talking and looking like the best friends they had always been. It was nice to see them looking close again, since Janna had come into the picture Em and Jake had been having a lot of problems stemming from the way Janna treated Sam and me and Quil had been put in the middle so often that he had actually ended up fighting with both of them. So seeing them tumble through my front door laughing like there had never been a bad word said between them made me really happy.

We were all sitting around the table talking, eating, and laughing when Billy cleared his throat, we quieted down and Billy said, "So Paul, I think you have an announcement to make?"

Paul looked up and caught Billy's eye as he chuckled and scowled a bit as he said, "um, right. Jake I know you and I haven't ever really been close but I'm hoping we can change that because uh, I imprinted on Rachel. I promise Jake I will never treat her badly you know I can't and I promise my old behaviors are dead forever I will treat her so good Jake I swear"

As Paul rambled on we watched as Jakes jaw went slack and then as his eyes went cold and he clenched his fists and started to shake, abruptly he stood up and ran out through the kitchen and a moment later I heard the back door slam.

Paul awkwardly broke the silence, "umm I'll go after him. Sorry Bella for the scene"

I laughed and replied, "Don't be stupid Paul! Just go get Jake to come back, he'll get over it."

He followed Jakes path into the kitchen and out the back door and the rest of us sat and ate in a slightly awkward silence as we waited for them to come back and we could get down to the business of Jake's messed up imprint.

****Sam POV****

Paul and Jake came back about 20 minutes later talking and joking like nothing had ever happened, the rest of us just gaped at them as they came back and sat down pulling their plates to them and digging in without even bothering to give us an explanation.

I cleared my throat; "Ok so there's something that we all need to discuss as a pack but also as a family and then Billy I'm going to need you to call an Elder meeting so that we can discuss it as a tribe."

I stop and take B's hand before continuing, "As you all know; Bella, and Kim, and now Rachel are the women fate has selected to make our pack into a family. I'm sure that you all know that Jake's imprint is rather different from the rest of our imprints.

Well we have a reason to suspect that Janna is not actually supposed to be Jake's imprint"

At this the one's who hadn't heard it beforehand started yelling and freaking out, Charlie looked at me and asked, "What does that mean? I mean what is the basis for this? I know that Jakes girl is a bit of a rude bitch but does that mean you can put an imprint out just because you all don't like her?"

I knew what Charlie was thinking and although I knew it was his concern that Bella would be left out in the cold I didn't appreciate that he thought that we would abandon one of our own.

Bella was truly the Alpha's mate, she kept the boys in line, kept ME in line and that was a job in and of its own self. The weekends that she spent at our home were what I lived for. Most nights during the week I would either come up and have dinner with her and Charlie or they would come down to our place. We had even taken to having a big family dinner with us, Embry and the Black's once a week. Bella and Embry and Charlie were pretty much the core of my family aside from the pack.

I waited for the din to come down to a low hum of agitation and started talking again addressing Charlie first, "Charlie you know that I've come to care for and respect you a lot. You've taken the father void that Harry always came close to filling but never quite could and you've plugged it up, I am so lucky to know that one day you will be my Father in Law. I love Bella more than anything in the world; I know we haven't been together that long but I know how I feel. She is my world." Charlie looked at me with so much love and pride it threw me into silence for a second.

I cleared my throat and continued, "Unfortunately we have a situation and yes it threw us all for a loop but here's the story for those of you who haven't heard it. When Jake met Janna she was with a group of four girls. He went up and was introducing himself to one of them shaking her hand. He felt the current. That low hum of electricity that we all feel whenever we touch our girls"

I looked around for confirmation and saw Jared and Paul nod, whereas Jake just looked confused. I asked, "Jake? You okay?"

He replied, "Wait. You guys feel that whenever you touch them? Even now? Jared? You've been with Kim for over a year, you still feel a current when you touch her skin?"

Jared looked at him a little confused, "Yeah, always. Even just if her hands brush against mine I always feel that low hum"

I broke in, "Jake, do you feel that with Janna?"

He looked sad for a moment, "No, never. I just figured I'd been so out of it that I didn't notice it when I touched her the first time and then well I never realized you guys still felt it when you touched the girls so I thought it was normal that I didn't feel it. It's like the marking thing though, I know you guys say you always feel the urge to mark the girls when you're together physically or even just messing around a bit, but I've NEVER felt the urge to mark her. It's like I told you when we were phased Sam, it's like my wolf doesn't acknowledge her"

At this point Charlie broke in, "Umm, what exactly do you mean by 'Marking'? And what does it mean that you have the urge to do it when you are together _physically?_"

I groaned loudly at this because I had somehow managed to forget that my girl's dad was sitting here listening to Jake talk about marking and more specifically my urge to mark his daughter when with her physically. I watched as Bella turned crimson and I tried to explain.

"Ok, so you get that we're werewolves right Charlie?" He nodded and I continued, "Ok. Well when the wolf claims his mate he does it through marking, what this entails is that during an _intimate moment_ the wolf will make his presence known and will bite the imprint on the back or side of the neck and then heal it with his saliva. The mark is a permanent scar from this bite.

For Bella and me it means that she as well as any/all of our children will be considered as a part of the tribe. It's actually the only way that she or they will be considered as part of the Quileute people. With her not having any native blood in her we cannot have the traditional wedding ceremony of the Quileute people, and they will not accept a non-native ceremony.

I swear Charlie that I told Bella all of this when we talked about imprinting and all that goes with it I would have told you but I thought that since Billy had told you about the imprint that maybe he told you about marking too. I told Bella that she didn't have to be marked, when the time comes that decision is all hers."

Charlie was now an interesting shade of purple and even Billy was glaring daggers at both Paul and me thinking about us 'marking' either of his girls. I could hear Charlie mumbling under his breath about too much information but better he know so that one day he wouldn't notice a huge bite mark on Bells' neck and come gunning for me. He finally talked himself out of his rage and said, "Sam as long as it's Bella's choice and she makes it for herself than it's between the two of you. If it happens and she ever even hints that you did it without her full permission I swear to God and all that is Holy that no matter how much I've come to think of you as my own son, I will mount your furry head above my mantle!"

Everyone burst out laughing and Embry broke in, "Uh, Sam, maybe you should get back to the matter at hand?"

I abruptly stopped laughing and nodded, "Ok so Jake was shaking this girls hand and he felt the current. As he went to look into the girls eyes Janna shoved her out of the way and he looked into hers instead, but he was still holding the other girls hand. So I had Billy looking in the texts but he never found anything and today I found out why.

Jake took the page, by the way Jake I want that page returned. Those texts are the only guides we have and they need to be in tact for future packs."

He nodded and I continued, "Now, I know that Janna has been a strain on all of us and on all of our relationships and friendships. She has been tearing the pack apart but now we know why. She's not supposed to be a part of it.

According to Jake he can break the shadow of the imprint but he has to meet his actual imprint to do it. Tonight we are just going to celebrate the fact that our friend isn't going to have to live his whole life with such a bitch!

Billy I'd like to have this out at the next council meeting, I think it would be a good plan to have the imprints, with the exception of Janna, come to this meeting as well, we're going to have to come up with some sort of plan to get Janna to tell us who that other girl was and then we're going to have to get all three of them in the same place and get this mess sorted out. I think we're going to _need_ the girls in on this."

Billy nodded his agreement and said, "Ok, next meeting is this coming Monday at 8. Ladies, I would very much appreciate if the three of you could attend."

Bella looked around at Rachel and Kim and they both nodded and she said, "We'll be there Billy!"

She got up and ran around the table and wrapped her arms around Jake saying, "I'm so happy for you Jakie! I'm sorry it had to be the hardest for you but I'm glad that you're going to meet your real soul mate and that we'll all be able to be friends and spend time together again!"

Jake hugged her back and replied, "thanks Bells. I honestly just want life to settle down; with Janna it's always one fight after another. If it wasn't about my unwillingness to be Alpha it was about how much longer it was going to be until I was made Chief."

He turned to me and continued, "Sam I know you are always telling me that if I want to be Alpha that you will step aside but I honestly don't ever want that job. You are the Alpha, you trained us, looked out for us, gave us a place to stay if we needed it, a place to cut loose and act our actual ages. The guys and I really look up to you Sam. We respect you like whoa, I could never ask them to follow me the way they follow you. I'll be Chief and you'll be Alpha and I think that that's how it's supposed to be."

I looked at Jake and I couldn't help the surge of pride I felt. I just nodded at him and went back to eating the delicious food that Bella had made.

****Bella POV****

I could tell that Jakes words really affected Sam. It was hard sometimes to think about all the responsibility that had been thrust upon Sam at such a young age. At 19 he had found himself alone in the world, he was a wolf, he found out his girlfriend was not his soul mate and had to break up with her, and then a month after all that, his mother had died in that car crash. It was really amazing that he was the man he was today after having had to live through all that.

I finished my plate and sat listening to the conversations around me. Dad, Billy, and Sam were talking about football. Paul was deep in conversation with Rachel and it was beautiful to see that Paul looked more settled and happy than he had in the 2 months that I had known him. Jared and Kim were talking to Jake about the possibilities of who the other girl was, and Quil and Embry were talking loudly about trying to meet more girls so that they could imprint.

When the guys had eaten pretty much everything in sight I got up to start clearing but instead Sam pulled me onto his lap. I laughed and leaned into him as he kissed my neck, he let me up and said, "Ok guys, Bella cooked so we're going to clean up. I don't want to hear any groans or complaints either."

The guys looked torn but finally just got up and started clearing. Dad and Billy went into the living room to watch the game and I took Rachel and Kim up to my room.

When we got inside Kim flopped down on my bed and Rach grabbed the desk chair as I put on a cd and lay down next to Kim. Rachel broke the silence between us, "Ok you two! Tell me absolutely everything I need to know about being an Imprint"

Kim and I laughed and Kim said, "Well Lucky YOU got the hotheaded wolf and while they're all possessive of their girls expect Paul to be the worst when it comes to jealousy and threatening looks and gestures at any non related male who comes near you."

I interjected, "come on Kim don't scare her! Paul is really sweet on the inside Rach, he has had things pretty rough he was the third wolf to phase and he has had the hardest time learning to control it. None of them can tell me that part of the imprint isn't taming the wolf somewhat. Aside from Sam, Paul has been a non-imprinted wolf the longest. Jared got lucky and imprinted on Kim only 6 months after becoming a wolf. Paul has been a wolf for about a year now and Sam was one for 2 years before we met. Heck Jake was the one who imprinted quickest albeit not on the right girl but still, he has only been a wolf since right after my birthday in September."

Kim took over, "Really the thing you have to remember is that you make the rules, it might be harder with Paul but he will do whatever it takes to make you happy. If he's moving too fast, tell him and he'll back off. If he's dragging because he's afraid to hurt you call him out on it. The thing is to keep them on their toes, don't baby them but be there for them because sometimes they do have rough days. Jared says that since the Cullen's have left that they've only come across one vamp and it seemed to only be passing through but they took care of it."

Rachel suddenly looked scared, "wait; vamp As in vampire? Well I guess that makes sense I remember when the Cullen's moved back, Dad was so pissed I thought he was going to bust a blood vessel, I guess he knew this was going to happen to the guys. Wait so what did Paul mean when he told Jake that his 'old behaviors' were dead?"

Kim and I exchanged an uncomfortable glance and I said, "That's really something you have to discuss with Paul, Rachel. Just remember that the imprint makes it impossible for him to lie to you without you knowing it and don't be too hard on him when he tells you about his past."

She nodded and my dad called up the steps for us to come down and have dessert.

The rest of the night went off without a hitch, all the food had been great I had managed to counteract all of Janna's help and I was feeling rather proud of myself, our first family holiday had been a huge success.

When everything had been cleaned up and put away the guys had headed out. Rachel ended up going with Paul so that they could talk some more and it was just Jake, Billy, Dad, Sam and me watching TV now.

Charlie suddenly sat up and punched Billy in the shoulder, "why the fuck didn't you tell me that marking shit Old Man?"

Billy rubbed his arm and replied, "Honestly Charlie I never thought any of the girls would go for that and I really didn't even realize that Bella would have more reason than any of the others to do it. It never even dawned on me that they couldn't have a tribal wedding and that the Mark was the only way her and their children would be considered tribe members. I'm sorry man."

Charlie just sat and contemplated for a bit before asking me, "Bell's you and Sam going back to his place tonight?"

I looked at Sam for a moment, it was an extra night I would get to spend in his arms but at the same time I could tell Dad was having a moment. Sam gestured that whatever I wanted was fine and I went and sat on my dads lap for the first time in almost 8 years and I leaned my head on his shoulder as I said, "Maybe later we'll head out but for right now I just want to sit with my dad and watch TV. You're still my number one."

Dad kissed my forehead and said, "Love you Kid."

We sat there for about 2 hours and when Jake and Billy headed out I got up and asked Dad, "You sure you're ok with me going over to Sam's tonight Dad? It's okay if you'd rather I stayed here. Heck Sam can crash on the couch here if you'd rather."

Dad just smiled and hugged me tight, "Bells it's fine I wanted to tell you the other day that I'm really proud of you for maintaining your grades and not ever complaining about being home during the week. I know you consider Sam's place your home too now but this will always be your home also. When you fully move into Sam's this summer I want you to know that you can always come and spend a night or two here if you guys have an argument or even if you just want to come and shoot the shit with your old man."

I hugged him back just as tight and told him, "Thanks Dad, that means so much to me."

That night as Sam and I lay in bed, I thought about the coming weeks and months and how much I had to be thankful for in my life.

**A/N: Ok so this chapter was full of sappy mushy fluff but it pretty much wrote itself and hopefully that's a good thing. Don't forget to leave some love! You guys have been really awesome with the reviews we're averaging about 16 per chapter now and it feels awesome every time I read them! To the 134 people who have this story on Favs and the 206 people who have this story on alert: thank you guys so much, I can't even tell you how great it feels to know that you like the story enough to add it!**


	20. Council meeting

**A/N: Stephanie Meyer owns Twilight and all recognizable characters and situations. **

****Sam POV Monday around 4pm****

I was just finishing up my patrol and heading back to my house to wait for B to get back from shopping with Rachel and Kim. The girls had picked her up from school and they had gone to Port Angeles with Jared and Paul in tow. I knew she didn't need new clothes as she had gotten a whole new wardrobe for her birthday so I was curious to find out what she had gone for.

I trotted through the trees into my backyard and phased back pulling my shorts up and walking into the house. I had gone fishing with Charlie over the weekend and we had talked out his feelings about imprinting, marking, and me.

I went into the living room and got my bowl out packed it and took a few leisurely tokes as Jared and Kim came through the door. Kim waved and sat down as Jared said, "Ooh weed! Pass it over here!"

I chuckled and passed him the bowl. Yeah shit is all sorts of fucked but it's just about December and hopefully if all goes well Jake will have himself a new imprint for Christmas.

I suddenly realize that Kim and Jared are here and Bella isn't, "Kim, where's B? I thought she went shopping with you guys?"

Kim nods, "She did, calm down Sam, she's fine. She had me drop her off at her dads so that she could run a load of laundry before she headed over, I think she wanted to wash some of the stuff she got at the mall."

I look at Kim and I know I probably look confused as I ask her "She bought new clothes? Jake said she got practically a whole new wardrobe for her birthday."

Kim shrugs, "Yeah, she got regular clothes with him. Do you really think she went bra and panty shopping with Jake, Sam?"

At that thought a grin spreads over my face and I go to the kitchen to grab a can of soda calling back over my shoulder, "you guys want something to drink?"

They both answer with a negative and Jared turns on the TV to a re-run of Law and Order and says, "Dude, this show is _always_ on! Oh good it's a Briscoe and Curtis ep, Jerry Orbach was the man!"

I laugh at this, Jared's been watching the same L&O re-runs on cable for the last 6 years, he will not watch the newer ones only the ones with Det. Lenny Briscoe and A.D.A Jack McCoy. Not that I can blame him for that, they are the only eps worth watching.

About 6:30 B comes in the door, she's wearing a pair of black boot cut jeans with one of her old Marilyn Manson T-shirts and her long black jacket. She takes off the jacket and I see that her t-shirt is actually over a fitted thermal undershirt. I walk up behind her and scoop her up before going back to sitting on the sofa and kissing the back of her neck.

Bella smirks back at me, "Well hello to you too Hon."

Kim and Bella order a bunch of pizzas and I'm paying the delivery guy as my back door slams open and the rest of the guys come in. I hand B one of the pizzas for her and Kim and bring the rest into the kitchen for the guys.

By 7:45 we're all ready to head over to the meeting hall. I bend down slightly on the sidewalk and B jumps up onto my back wrapping her arms and legs around me as Kim and Rachel do the same with Jared and Paul. The younger guys laugh and tell us we look ridiculous but we're all laughing too hard to care.

It takes us about 10 minutes to get to the meeting hall and we gently lower the girls down to the sidewalk and all walk in together to greet Billy, Harry, and Old Quil.

I leave Bell with Embry and take my seat at the Elder table as Billy calls the meeting to order and then Old Quil asks, "Billy, Sam, to what do we owe the pleasure of a full wolf pack and imprint meeting? Wait, no, Jacob's imprint is not here. What's going on?"

I gesture for Jake to come up and he puts the sheet of paper that he took from the Texts on the table. "Harry, Old Quil, it seems that Jacob has shadow imprinted. Janna Barnes is not supposed to be his imprint."

Old Quil reads the page while Harry just gapes at us all in shock for 5 minutes before clearing his throat, "That's a serious problem Sam. Did you not verify that his imprint was normal?"

I feel my face grow hot and am glad that with my dark skin the pansy blushing is barely noticeable as I answer, "I asked him what he felt, he said that he felt that all the things that held him to earth didn't matter and she was all that did.

In all actuality his imprint did occur in the 'normal way' we just didn't know that there was any other way of an imprint occurring. None of us were ever told that it was possible to identify our imprint by touch before The Look ever took place! Nor were we ever told about even the very remote possibility of a 'shadow' or 'phantom' imprint."

I rake my hands through my hair and I'm just so pissed at the tone that Harry took acting like I neglect my Alpha duty. Like I just let them tell whatever random girl they wanted that they were giant wolves; like that would happen!

I continue on, "I understand why we weren't told; it entails so many variables that for all of them to happen at the exact same time to one guy is almost a complete statistical impossibility! Any one of us probably stood a better chance of being struck dead by a toilet seat falling from space than to shadow imprint!

So really, I get it, but don't talk to me like I'm not doing my job by these kids or that I don't take my responsibility to them seriously Harry! Every single one of them is family to me!"

Billy interjected, "Sam no one here thinks that you don't take your Alpha duty seriously. I'm sure that wasn't what Harry meant to imply. The real issue here is what are we going to do about Janna? I don't think anything is going to keep that girl quiet, and with her father being the top lawyer in La Push there's no way to legally gag her. I have no idea what to do in this situation. I want her out of my sons' life but I'm not sure how that's going to happen, how we are going to find the other girl is the other problem."

Everyone sighed; this was going to be hard. Bella spoke up, "Umm is it okay if I make a suggestion?"

Old Quil started getting crotchety about her speaking but Billy gave him a good glare and said, "Of course you can talk Bells! What's on your mind honey?"

Bella beamed at him and said, "Ok, I really don't know what to do about keeping Janna quiet after the imprint is broken, but as for how we find the other girl. Well Jake, you've been seeing Janna for like 2 months now. Don't you know any of her friends? I mean we're all going on the assumption that this other girl is one of her friends.

None of us girls go to LPH, Kim and Rachel have already graduated and obviously I go to Forks High. You guys however almost all of you go to LPH with the exception of Sam and Jared you're all in school. Who was Janna friendly with who she all of a sudden isn't anymore?

I can almost guarantee you that you find out which of her friends got bumped out of the group with no explanation after Janna started seeing Jake and that's our girl."

The guys all looked like they were having a DUH moment, even Old Quil looked impressed. It made sense of course, that a bitch like Janna wouldn't let the girl Jake had obviously been interested in first stick around and be competition even though with the imprint competition didn't exist.

It would bother her to have to look at the girl who Jake had taken an initial interest in every day, that was part of her problems with B. When Jake first brought her around the pack after telling her everything Embry had made the mistake of blurting out 'so you finally found a replacement for Bell in your spank bank huh Jake?' Janna had been beyond pissed to find out about Jakes colossal former crush on Bella and that was when the animosity towards her in particular started.

I spoke up, "Wait. So why don't we just have Em and Quil find this girl and befriend her, they can start bringing her around here and we can find out if she's the girl."

Billy spoke up, "I don't think it's a good idea to have them do the search Sam, if they think they found the right girl but it's not the right girl there's too much chance for the girl to get suspicious, if word of this gets back to Janna she might not know why they're asking questions but it won't look good. Honestly I think I'm going to have to ask my dear friend Charlie for a big BIG favor."

B snapped her head up to look at Billy, "What kind of favor?"

Billy sighed, "Bells, honey, you're the only imprint so far who's still in high school. As chief of the tribe I can give you a special permission to transfer to LPH to finish out your senior year. I'd get you the same classes as Paul so that he can look after you and show you around, and during the week you could stay with us!

Rachel's room still has the 2 twin beds from when she and Bex both still lived at home, it wouldn't be any trouble and it'd give us a much better shot of finding this other girl without raising any suspicions."

Bella looked torn, "I really want to help Billy but when would I see Dad if I'm with you during the week and with Sam on the weekends? I really don't see my Dad being okay with having zero time with me right before I graduate. Let's call him down here and see what we can work out okay?"

Billy nodded and called Charlie and asked him to come down, he said he'd be down in about 20 minutes so we all took a quick break.

I went outside and found Bella smoking a cigarette, "Since when do you smoke?"

She laughed, "I normally don't, I used to back in Phoenix but when I came to live with Dad I gave it up. This is actually my totem cigarette that's been in the bottom of my purse since I moved, sort of a 'break glass in case of emergency' thing.

I really want to help Jake, Sam. I think I more than anyone wants Janna out of our lives. I'm not willing to hurt my dad to do it though. He needs me more than he or anyone else realizes and truthfully I need him too.

God knows I love my mom Sam but she has never been a parent, our relationship improves the farther away we are from each other. I have long chats with her every week or so now but if I were to ever have to live with her again it would be the same as before I left; her ignoring me, and me doing stupid shit to try to get her to pay attention once in a while. I'm not so naïve that I don't know that's what I was doing with my older friends and the drinking.

With Dad even though maybe I haven't told him everything about Phoenix he knows who I am and he loves me enough to be a FATHER to me. I can't even tell you how grateful I was when he laid down the law about us and gave us his trust but also set boundaries and standards.

I really want to help Jake and the pack and I know that as an imprint I'm bound to do so but I will NOT hurt my father in the process."

At that moment Charlie pulled up in his cruiser and Bella hastily threw her cigarette away and spritzed herself with some sweet smelling perfume. Charlie got out of the cruiser and B ran down to give him a hug. They walked back over and we made our way back into the meeting hall.

Charlie settled himself in a chair next to Bella and looked over at Billy, "So uh, not that I'm not happy to be invited or anything but I've never been allowed in this building before Billy. What's going on?"

Billy frowned a little and said, "Well you know about the situation, we've been talking about possible solutions and honestly Charlie I think the only one that is viable is to have Bella transfer to LPH. She can help the guys find Jakes real imprint without arousing suspicions about why she's talking to her or what is going on. I'd be happy to let her stay with us during the week so she didn't have to drive 25 minutes to school every day."

Charlie's face started to turn red and I knew he was royally pissed before he even opened his mouth, "Excuse me? Let me get this straight. You want my daughter to transfer schools and move in with you during the week? Billy, she already lives with Sam on weekends, when would I be able to spend time with her? I lost her for 7 years and I'm sorry but I can't lose her again yet. You know that I would do pretty much anything to help Jake but I'm sorry, I will not consent to Bella changing schools if it means she can't live at home with me, I'm her father."

Harry spoke up, "Well, and this is of course if Sam is okay with it, but what if you both moved in with Sam until this is all sorted out?"

Charlie started to say that he wasn't comfortable with Bella living full time with me at this stage of our relationship but Old Quil interrupted, "I think I have a solution that may work for everyone."

He waited till we all settled down and continued, "Our Sherriff is retiring at the end of the year. What if Charlie took over that job, we wouldn't be able to pay you as well as they pay you in Forks but you already spend most of your free time down here anyway so you'd save on gas.

You'd have more free time to spend with Bella and your friends, and you'd be closer for when she eventually moves in with Sam and they have children of their own. There's a small 3-bedroom house for sale a couple of houses down from Sam's; if you decide to take the job the council will purchase it on your behalf and you can start taking care of things on your end in Forks and we'll enroll Bella in LPH with that address but her living arrangements wouldn't have to change until you actually moved into the house whenever you get things squared away up there."

Everyone was silent considering, Bella and her father were having a hushed conversation weighing the pros and cons of the situation, none of us were very surprised when Charlie looked up and said, "Ok I'm willing to go ahead with this. I'll start making arrangements for Deputy Chief Wilcox to take over my position as Forks Police Chief starting January 1st and I'll put my house on the market starting tomorrow.

After my house sells I'll give you back the asking price for the house down the street from Sam's, it makes sense for me to be down here, most of my life is down here anyways."

The meeting broke up soon after with some of the details worked out, Bella would start at LPH in 2 weeks which gave her enough time to sort things out with the schools and tell the few friends she had up in Forks the abridged version of what was going on.

We walk back to my place and I point out the house that is going to be her and Charlie's, it's a cute house and it has a wraparound porch which Bella immediately comments on, "Ohh I love the porch, we can put a swing on it. I think Charlie would like that!"

I nod, "Yeah I'm sure he'd love it B. You sure you can't stay a little?"

She wraps her arms around my neck and I pick her up and lean her back against the truck as she says, "I'm sorry Baby, I guess Dad just got really freaked out by the thought of not seeing me at home. Plus now that we're moving I have a lot of stuff to take care of. I love you so much Sam, and just think of all the fun we'll get to have when we're neighbors"

She leaned down and kissed me before I could reply, molding her lips to mine as I slid my tongue in her mouth. She backed off a little before catching my lower lip between her teeth and nibbling it lightly. I continued kissing her until I heard a horn honk on the street.

We broke apart and I lowered her gently to the ground and we turned to find Charlie's cruiser with the lights flashing. He rolled down the passenger side window and shouted out, "Come on Bella! You can follow me out. We'll see you tomorrow Sam!"

I leaned down and gave her another kiss and opened the truck door for her watching as she got in and drove off following Charlie's cruiser down the street.

**A/N: Ok so they're moving to La Push and Bella's going to find Jakes' real imprint. Props to anyone who gets the toilet seat reference.**


	21. Last Day at Forks High

**A/N: Stephanie Meyer owns Twilight and all Characters and recognizable situations therein. Once again response to the last chapter was awesome and I thank you guys so much! Most of you got the toilet seat reference; yes it was a pop to the old Showtime series Dead Like Me, I really wish that show had had more than 2 seasons and a crappy movie which didn't even have most of the original cast. Ok, I know in the books Angela is the same age as Bella but I'm going to make her a couple of years younger so that she's 16 and a sophomore same as J/E/Q.**

****Bella POV almost 2 weeks later****

So it's Friday, and today is my last day at Forks High. I wish I could say I'm excited about it, but I'm really not. Jake had told Janna that I was switching schools and moving down to the res on a permanent basis and she had predictably FREAKED out. Even though it wasn't true Jake had told her I was moving in with Sam, we figured she'd take that and run with it spreading some nasty rumors and making me an automatic outcast. It would be a tough rest of the year but I could handle it, and if the end result was a Janna free life I was all for it.

I went through my morning routine and then tried to decide what I was going to wear. Going through my closet I decided on a thin grey skull t-shirt over a white thermal top with a pair of baggy black and pink pants that had about 10 different pockets and straps attached to the sides. I laced up my 8 eye boots and flat ironed my hair before pulling it back in a high ponytail and putting on some eye makeup with a little lip-gloss.

I had told Angela and Jessica only this past Monday that I was switching schools. Jessica barely acknowledged me but that was because her and Mike were back on this month and he and I still weren't speaking. Angela had actually looked like she was going to cry but that was because her and Ben had only broken up last month and she was still having a hard time with it.

I had promised both of them that I'd call them and still see them all the time but we had already been growing apart. Before, when I was with Edward, I had been so walled in by the whole Cullen family that my other friends just fell by the way side except for at school. Now, with Sam and the pack, well I guess my friends and I just lived in different worlds. That didn't mean I wouldn't ever see them it just meant that we could never be as close as we would otherwise have been if the world were normal.

I finished my musing and went down to fix some breakfast. Things were moving really quickly, Sam had started coming down and helping Dad get the house into sellable condition. He had put it on the market and the real estate agent he was working with thought it would sell pretty quickly if we could get the minor repairs and renovations done before she had to show it.

I made it to school with about 10 minutes before first bell and found Ang waiting by my locker. I wave to her and say, "hey."

She starts to get teary and I start to think that this is going to be a very long day if she's going to be breaking out the waterworks all day. I know it's not kind and I really do love her but sometimes her overly emotional gushiness gets to me.

When I was with Edward it seemed like we had a lot more in common then we actually did. She still didn't know how I really spent my weekends. Neither did Jess but that's only because even though she was the first friend I met here she was too up Lauren's ass to trust like that.

Angela sniffs and gets herself under control before saying, "Oh Bella! It's your last day here; I just can't believe it! I know it's only La Push but I feel like I'll never see you anymore!"

I just roll my eyes and give her a halfhearted hug as I tell her, "Don't be stupid Ang! I'll still see you all the time. How about this? Sam is having a little get together at his place next weekend, why don't I ask him if it's alright if you come down. I'm sure he won't mind it's just a bunch of the guys and their girls if they have them, just don't tell Jess I invited you down ok? I think she'd annoy the crap out of Sam on the sole basis that she keeps going back to Mike and he still hasn't forgiven Mike for firing me."

She smiles and tells me that would be great and gives me her word that she won't tell Jess as I finish stowing my shit in my locker and head for homeroom.

The morning went by in a blur, I wasn't responsible for any work and I really only was going to the classes to return the textbooks I was given at the beginning of the year.

I walked into lunch and sat down with the usual crew. The boys were all looking at me like I had killed their puppy or something. Ang and Jessica looked like they were going to burst into tears, and Lauren looked smug. I was telling myself to ignore her when she opened her mouth, "So Bella I hear your dad is leaving FPD to go be the sheriff down on the res because you got knocked up by your 21yr old boyfriend and are shacking up with him."

I blinked, "What?"

I almost start laughing at the ridiculousness of it. "Who the hell told you that?"

Lauren looked smug, "Oh I guess you didn't know! Janna Barnes' mom is one of the Dr's at my father's practice; she and I have been good friends for years now. She said she heard that you were moving in with Sam from her boyfriend Jacob Black, who is a good friend of his, why would your father let you move in with your too old boyfriend unless you were knocked up?"

I had frozen, like a deer in the headlights, of course I had no way of knowing that Janna knew anyone from Forks, it just figured that out of all the people that she could have known it had to be Lauren fucking bitch Mallory.

I gave my head a shake to clear it and figure what the fuck ever this was my last day here anyway and most of these people I didn't give a crap about and I knew Angela would still talk to me either way so oh well.

For once I'm actually grateful to have known Edward for as long as I had, the one thing I could count on him to tell me was all of Lauren and Jess's most hideous secrets and I'm feeling like being really mean to this bitch.

I answered her calmly, "Well Lauren, unlike you and your dad, my father and I have a really open and honest relationship. I can talk to him about anything. He's been really supportive of my relationship with Sam and the two of them get along really well.

My dad has always been more progressive than most, I mean, how many fathers do you know who would be cool with their daughter spending weekends with her older boyfriend who lives alone? I'm sure your father wouldn't be that cool. I'm just happy that I have a father who supports me and who I can talk to.

I mean I would never be afraid to tell my dad if I was pregnant with Sam's child. I know he would support me in whatever decision I made. I'm sure I wouldn't have to sneak off to Seattle to get an abortion like you did last May. Oh wait, you did that because you had no fucking clue who the father was and you didn't want to end up on Maury 5 times with 8 different guys who you had sex with over one drunk night!

To get back to your assumptions; first off, no I'm not pregnant. Oh, and if I was I wouldn't be ashamed of it, because I love Sam and he loves me and he would be there for me through anything.

Secondly, Not that it's any of your business but my dad is letting me move in with Sam because our house down there won't be ready for a couple more weeks and I have to physically live in La Push to start at LPH and I want to start before the holiday break.

Third, Jake Black has been my friend since I was in diapers and I'm sure he told all this to Janna or maybe he didn't, I hear they aren't spending very much time together lately. Maybe you should start taking everything that bitch tells you with a grain of salt so that you don't end up looking like a complete asshole again when you start spouting shit that is none of your business in the first place!"

At this point Lauren's face is practically purple and she looks like she's going to explode. She gets up looks around at the rest of the table they're all looking at her with equal parts shock, pity, and revulsion. She looks back at me mutters bitch and runs out of the caf.

I shake my head and say, "aww, I don't think she likes me… I'm sorry you guys are going to have to deal with the fall out of that for the rest of the year but fuck was I tired of her superior 'I'm so perfect' bullshit"

The rest of the table nods at me and I give Ang a hug as she says, "I'll call you later this week to talk about the other thing."

I nod and decide to fuck this shit, it's my last day I'll turn my books into Ms. Cope in the office and get the fuck out of here.

I head to the office and find Lauren screaming at Ms. Cope and trying to get a pass to go home, she looks up as I enter and she looks murderous as she moves away from me to stand on the other side of the room. I slap my textbooks on the counter and say, "I have to leave Ms Cope. I'm really sorry but my mom just called and I need to go! I'll just leave these books here ok?"

I ran out of the office and got in my truck and headed home.

I got back to the house and went inside to call Dad before the school called him and he thought something happened to Renee.

I went upstairs and packed my overnight bag thinking about the conversation I had just had with my dad, he was pretty pissed at me for ditching the rest of my last day at FHS but he'd been privy to some of Lauren's nastier antics with kids at school so he knew what kind of person she was and he didn't blame me for taking her down a peg or two. Although he thought the abortion comment was kind of a low blow and I can't even say I disagreed.

I finish packing the bag and send a text to Sam, _ 'Hey Babe, on my way to you. See you in 20 xX-B'_

I get to Sam's and let myself through the front door only to find the house is empty. I send him a text to let him know I'm at the house but here his message tone and see that he left his phone on the kitchen counter which means he's phased and will be coming back to the house.

I bring my bag into the bedroom and change into a pair of white lace boy shorts with a little pink bow on the front and a hot pink wife beater and climb into the bed. I wrap the comforter around me and let the exhaustion of the morning wash over me and quickly fall asleep.

****Sam POV****

I finished up my patrol and headed back to my yard. I phase back, pull on my shorts, and head back into the house grabbing my phone as I cross into the living room. I notice something is off when I step into the living room, in the quiet I can hear a steady heart beat coming from my bedroom. I take a deep breath, smell that it's Bella, and relax. I check my texts and see that she had texted that she was coming when I had been on patrol.

I go into the bedroom and see that she's asleep. I don't have any jobs for the rest of the day so I say fuck it and pull my shorts off and slip under the covers with her. I pull her close to me and she opens her eyes dreamily as I kiss her forehead. I murmur to her, "hey baby, how was your last day? It's early shouldn't you still be at school?"

She stretched against me and replied, "Yeah, don't worry Charlie knows I left early. I called him when I got home. I got into it with Lauren Mallory at lunch and decided just to say fuck it and come home so that's what I did. Charlie's pretty pissed about it but he's actually been called to the school a few times because of her so he wasn't too pissed."

I rubbed my hands up and down her back as I ask, "What did you guys fight about?"

She snorts derisively, "Apparently Janna's mom works with Lauren's dad and the queen bitch of Forks High is a good friend of the queen bitch of La Push. Ironic right? So apparently Janna told Lauren that Dad is taking the job down here because I'm moving in with you and the only reason he's letting me live with you is because according to Janna I'm knocked up.

Well what Lauren didn't know is that the one thing I could count on Edward to tell me was all of her and Jessica's dirtiest secrets. It's probably the nicest thing he ever did for me; he knew they treated me like shit on a daily basis so he gave me ammo to use against them if I so chose. I honestly think his real reasoning was so that I would prove to him every day that I didn't use it that I was the 'lady' he thought I was.

I'm not real proud of myself right now Sam, I mean don't get me wrong Lauren is a first class bitch, but I think I took her crown today. Even Dad was disappointed that I went where I went."

I stroke her hair and smirk at her a little, "What could you have possibly said that could make you think that you took the queen bitch title? It had to have been bad if Charlie was upset about it but he must not have been too upset because he didn't ban you from coming here this weekend."

She sighs, "umm you might want to talk to Paul about this because I think he was there, I'm just assuming because it's Paul but now that I think about it Edward said something about a disgusting dog, but apparently last April Lauren came down here and had a fucking gang bang with half the LPH football team no joke she fucked 8 guys in one evening. Well she got pregnant and obviously she had no idea who the dad was, definitely not something she would have wanted to have to admit to and in early May she snuck off to Seattle to have a hasty abortion. She had to go that far because of who her Dad is up here.

So uh I told pretty much everyone in ear shot that she had an abortion because she had no clue who her kids dad was and she didn't want to end up on Maury 5 times with 8 different guys."

I inhaled sharply and I'm pretty sure my mouth dropped in shock. I took a deep breath and pulled it together, "wow. Uh, yeah that was pretty harsh B. Don't let it eat at you though Baby. So you let out the monster that lives inside of every teenaged girl, so what? You had one slip. I've met that girl, I was here last summer, and Paul invited me to that gangbang but I told both of them to fuck off. She's a nasty bitch B and Jake has told me that you've been her favorite target since your first day at FHS so I'm going to let you off with an affirmative defense and say it was all self defense."

She laughed and kissed me deeply as she relaxed against me. I love feeling her body against mine. I pulled off her wife beater and leaned down to suck gently on her nipple. After about 3 minutes of slow torture to both her nipples as I alternate sucking and pinching on them both Bella moans and arches her back and I streak one hand down to cup her pussy through her lacy panties. Fuck she's wet, the panties cling to her smooth pussy.

I rub her through her panties until she's bucking her hips against my hand and moaning. She reaches for me and kisses me as she maneuvers me back against the bed and climbs on top of me. I kiss her as I look at the clock and groan, "fuck, B, Embry is gunna be here in like 15 minutes."

She sighs as she sits up with her knees on either side of me and she pulls her panties to the side as she grabs my dick and aligns it at her entrance as she says, "well I guess we have to be quick then."

In one fast motion she thrusts down until my cock is buried in her pussy. I lay back as she gets a rhythm going, she's moaning and bouncing up and down on me harder and faster and it's so fucking hot watching her ride my cock.

I go to cup her breasts but she pushes my hands away and places her hands on my shoulders to give her more leverage as she pumps herself up and down on my dick. I feel her pussy squeeze around my dick and she lets out a scream of pleasure as I groan and cum with her.

She falls against my chest and I hold her till she catches her breath and says, "See fast and awesome!"

**A/N: I'm not really sure about this chapter, I wrote the caf scene like 5 different ways but Bella and Lauren insisted on fighting in all of them so I picked the one that didn't end up in them actually hitting each other. I actually started a Bella/Quil story but I'm not sure if I'll post it or not. Either way this story would remain my first priority, I'm getting to a point where I'm getting on a roll and I know where I want the next few chapters to go. Don't forget to leave some love! **


	22. First Day at La Push High

**A/N: Stephanie Meyer owns Twilight and all characters therein. Hey all again thanks so much for the support and reviews! I just want to let everyone know that I did post my Bella/Quil story, it's called "How Do We Take Our Path to Happiness" it's an all human/alt universe and history fic and it's going to be much more angsty than GBtM but I hope that you give it a shot too. Like I said last chapter GBtM is going to remain my first priority story wise so don't worry about it getting forgotten or left by the wayside. **

****Bella POV the following Monday****

So today is the day, my first day going to LPH. I was wearing my old jeans with the holes in the knees and my Rob Zombie Hellbilly Deluxe t-shirt. Dad had let me spend Sunday night at Sam's just this once to hold up the illusion with Janna that I was living with him.

Ever since Thanksgiving Jake had spent the least amount of time with Janna he could get away with without having the imprint fuck with him and she was on a warpath. I kissed Sam goodbye as he headed out to do an early job at someone's house and waited for Paul to pick me up.

Paul drives up and honks about 10 minutes later and I run out to his car. Quil is riding shotgun and I wave at him as I get in the backseat with Embry. I put my book bag on the seat between us and say, "Hey Paul, what do we have today? Billy said I'm on your schedule all day so what do I have to look forward to?"

Paul rolled his eyes and smirked a bit, "You mean I'm stuck with you ALL day? Nah just kidding you know I love ya sis. Well before lunch we have advanced US history, Math, 2 study halls and art."

I nod and change the subject, "so what do I have to look forward to today rumor wise? I know she's been telling people I'm pregnant I guess I have to live with that one for the next few months when people realize I'm not getting a baby bump."

I notice that all the guys are looking away now, even Embry isn't meeting my eyes and now I'm worried; "What is it you guys? Look whatever it is I can handle it but you have to give me some warning ok?"

Embry looked really uncomfortable as he answered, "Well you know that Jake hasn't been spending any more time than is absolutely necessary with her since Thanksgiving right."

I nod and he continues, "Well she's kind of telling everyone that you are sleeping with all of us and that the father of your kid could be any of us and that she thinks that that's why Jake's avoiding her."

I gape at him and then just start laughing my ass off, I laugh till there are tears rolling down my face. The guys are looking at me like I've lost my mind and I finally get control of myself as Paul pulls into a parking spot at LPH. I look at them all and say, "Oh my god that's too funny. She really is a fucking moron. Oh well it'll be easier for me to blend in and find Jake's imprint if everyone is treating me like a pariah. If this was FHS all over again with people falling over themselves to talk to me because I was like a shiny new toy it would take forever!"

We get out of the car and Paul and Embry walk me to the office. I go in and get my schedule and have Paul show me where my locker is. He said that he managed to get the kid who had the locker next to his to switch out and as we walked up he gave a kid who looked a little like a native Mike Newton the slip with the locker number and combo on it as the kid handed me an index card with the combo for the locker next to Paul's.

I put my stuff in the locker and walk with Paul to homeroom. As we walk I see the girls looking at me with disgust and revulsion and even the boys are looking at me like I have a disease. I just smile and keep walking. LPH is even smaller than Forks High and there are only 2 senior homerooms as opposed to the 4 at Forks and I find myself thinking that even if Billy hadn't requested it chances were I would have ended up with the same schedule as Paul.

I haven't seen Janna yet and I'm hoping she's absent but not holding my breath. The morning passes relatively quickly only one of my teachers was douche enough to make me stand at the head of the class and introduce myself so that's at least one thing that LPH has over Forks High.

I walk into lunch slightly ahead of Paul and grab a table in the corner while he goes to sit with the guys. Part of the plan is that I have to actually seem like an outcast. I've heard people whispering about me and passing around the rumors that Janna had started and I take it all with a grain of salt and just ignore it.

I give a nod to the guys and the whispering and chatter picks up around us. I scan around and find Janna sitting with 4 other girls. She whispers something to two of them and the girls get up and approach my table, "You're Isabella, right?"

I nod as I answer, "yeah, I prefer Bella though, thanks."

They smirk and ask, "So when are you due Bella? Janna just told us that you're expecting, that that's why you moved down here, because the father of your baby is Quileute."

I smile politely and say, "oh, I guess she was misinformed, I moved down here because my father is taking over as Sherriff at the beginning of the year and I wanted to get settled in before Christmas break. As far as I know I'm not pregnant, thank you so much for asking though."

The girls roll their eyes and walk away clearly they think I'm lying but that's what we're counting on. All the tables are filled now and I see a young girl come into the caf, she's tall about 5'7 and very beautiful. I watch as she scans around looking I guess for an empty seat; she starts to head over to Janna's table but the other girl sees her coming and shakes her head, glaring at her with malice and envy in her eyes.

The girl visibly deflates; my heart breaks for her, it's clear that those girls were her friends once with how hurt she looks. She turns and spots me at my corner table and sighs as she walks over. She stands next to the seat across from me and asks, "um, do you mind if I sit here?"

I smile at her and say, "please, feel free. I'm Bella, Bella Swan."

She drops her bag on the empty chair to her right and sits down saying, "Thanks. My name's Shanna, Shanna Ridgeway"

She takes out a bag lunch and unpacks a sandwich, a can of soda, and a bag of chips and starts eating. Midway through she looks over at me, "Shouldn't you be eating? It's probably not good for the baby if you starve yourself."

I laugh and give her a smile, "I'm not pregnant. Janna started those rumors because she's mad that Jake isn't interested in her the way he used to be and she thinks it's my fault."

She frowns a little but I see a flash of hope in her eyes and she asks, "Is it?"

I laugh again and say, "God no! Jake and I have been friends since we were in diapers. Our dad's are best friends. I've never had any interest in Jake beyond platonic friendship. I've been dating Sam Uley since September and we're really serious."

She gasps and says, "Sam Uley? He's like the leader of Jakes group right? Isn't he like 24 or something though?"

I shrug and reply, "He'll be 22 in August actually, I'm 18 anyways. Yeah he's pretty much the leader of that group of knuckleheads. So Shanna, now you know some stuff about me, tell me about you. What's the story with you and Janna, I saw you start to head over to their table when you came in."

She drops her head and looks embarrassed, "Oh, Janna and I grew up best friends. Our moms were best friends since they were kids and they were thrilled when they got pregnant right around the same time; hence, Shanna and Janna.

One night about 2 weeks before Halloween we were having a bonfire at first beach with some of the JV football team and Jacob Black was there. Well he came over to join our party and he started to introduce himself to me. We were shaking hands but he was kind of high and he hadn't actually looked at me yet so I was telling him my name and he started to look up but then Janna pushed me and he started talking to her and that was that.

They started going out that night and the next day Janna told everyone to stop being my friend, she claimed that I tried to throw myself at Jake knowing she liked him, I told her I hadn't done that and that I was just being polite but she said I was exiled and that none of them were my friends anymore.

So for the last 2 months I've been sitting by myself and it's just been so awful"

She cuts off and actually starts crying at the table and I'm torn between feeling so bad for her and wanting to jump up on the table and start dancing a jig because I just fucking found Jake's real imprint on the first fucking day! I reel in my excitement and drag her to the girls' room so that she can put her face back together while I soothe and comfort her and tell her that Janna will get hers in the end.

We get back to the table just as the bell rings and I tell her I'll see her tomorrow as she heads in the direction of the sophomore locker area. Paul comes up behind me and I whisper too low for anyone else to hear but I know he can hear me just fine, "Paul, the girl I was sitting with, I think it's her. She described the night that Jake met Janna and said she was shaking his hand when Janna shoved her. Is there anything I should ask in particular to be sure?"

Paul leads me to a secluded corner and looks around before answering, "Just get her to talk about their meeting, unless she says something about feeling the current when he touched her we can't take it for granted it was her. If it was her then Jake's a lucky boy, I've seen her around before I met Rachel, she's easily the prettiest girl in their grade."

I nod and tell him I'll broach the subject with her tomorrow at lunch and we head to our next class, which is a business computer applications class. We walk in a minute or so after the bell and the teacher stops as all attention is drawn to us, "Well Mr. Dixon, and I'm assuming you must be Ms. Swan, nice of you both to join us. Take your seats please."

Paul and I head to the 2 empty seats in the back and someone cat calls, "Make sure you get a paternity test Paul, don't let her pin the kid on you just because you have some classes with her!"

The rest of the class laughs and I feel my face turning red, Paul snorts in disgust and starts to say something back but the teacher cuts him off, "Mr. Dixon, either sit down or go to the office I don't know what kind of personal issues you're having with our new student and honestly I don't really care but you won't disrupt my class. Mr. Knight that goes for you too, one more comment like the one you just made and you'll be going to the discipline referral center."

The class drags and I've never been so happy to hear the bell, the computer class is my last class of the day as Paul and I have study halls for eighth and ninth period and I head to the office to hand in my slip with Paul trailing behind me.

I give my slip to the office lady who didn't bother to tell me her name and she tells me that the guidance counselor wants to see me. I look at her confused and say ok and make my way to the guidance office.

Once there I'm called into an office where an older Quileute lady sits behind a desk, she introduces herself, "Isabella, I'm Dr. Watkins, I'm the guidance counselor here at La Push High. I don't mean to make you uncomfortable but I've heard some distressing rumors about you and I feel that it's something we need to address."

I look at her a little funny, roll my eyes, and say, "It's Bella, and please tell me you don't really believe that I'm pregnant and don't know who the father of my kid is or some stupid crap like that."

She looks offended, "I would appreciate it if you would watch your language young lady, and if you are pregnant the school needs to know."

I roll my eyes at her and reply, "Really? You need to know? I'm sorry; I was under the impression that my medical records were already here. If you need to know something you can review them. I'll save you some time though. No, I'm not pregnant. If you'd like to know anything else or you need further proof you can call my father, his number is also in my records I'm sure. Is that all?"

Now she looks downright pissed, "Miss Swan I really don't appreciate your tone and I'll just say that we don't have to accept you at this school. This is a Quileute school and obviously you are not Quileute I don't know what kind of strings your father pulled to get you in here but maybe you would have been better off staying at Forks High for the rest of the year."

I roll my eyes again and say, "Listen Doc, my father didn't pull any strings to get me in here, in fact neither of us wanted me to go here. If you need an explanation as to why I'm here you can call Billy Black and he will explain it to you. My father is doing your people a favor and leaving his job in Forks to come down here and be the Sherriff because his best friend who is the Chief of your tribe asked him to. Now I have to go, goodbye. Again feel free to call my father if you need anything else or you have any other complaints to make about my attitude or skin color."

She inhales sharply and I walk out the door. I get to the hall and meet up with Paul who is laughing at my confrontation. I smile and start to laugh with him as we head to our lockers. We get what we need for homework and he drives me back to Sam's so I can pick my truck up and drive home to Dads'.

I see that Sam's truck is still gone so he must be on a job. I shrug and get in my truck to drive the 20 minutes back to Forks.

**A/N: So yay! We may have found our girl! Sorry for no Sam this chapter I miss him too, lol. He'll be back in the next chapter I'm pretty sure though. I hope this chapter was good, leave some love. If you get a chance and you think you might like it check out my new story too! **


	23. Family Dinner

**A/N: Stephanie Meyer owns Twilight and all characters therein. **

****Bella POV Wednesday evening the same week****

The last two days have passed by in a blur; every time I start trying to talk to Shanna about Jake someone interrupts us! She was two years younger, so lunch was the only time I really saw her. I made up my mind that I would ask her for her number tomorrow.

Maybe I'll call Angela and make a girls night for the 3 of us on Friday. Even if Shanna doesn't turn out to be Jake's imprint she's cool and I like having her as a friend so I'll introduce her to Ang because unless she is Jake's imprint having her meet Kim and Rach would be a waste of time.

I'm at Sam's cooking up a storm and thanking God that none of my teachers gave us homework tonight, it's our weekly dinner and it's starting to get ridiculous. We're going to have to switch it to Sunday's I think from now on because doing it during the week and trying to cook enough fresh for 5 werewolves, plus Billy, Charlie, Embry's mom, Rachel, Kim and myself is just too much. The girls all help but it's just too big a production for the middle of the week.

When it started out it was just, Dad, Sam, Embry, Billy and me. When Jake stopped spending time with Janna he started joining us, then Embry asked if he could invite Kay. Then after Thanksgiving Rachel, Paul, Jared, and Kim started joining us. It was just too much.

I sat the last platter on the table and smiled at my family before dramatically falling into Sam's lap, everyone laughed as he kissed my neck. Quil was out on the prowl; he vowed not to come to a weekly family meal until he had found his imprint. I don't know how many times I have to tell him it will happen, he just has to be patient. I think he has almost managed to look every Quileute female from age 14 to 24 in the eye by now.

****Sam POV****

Bella is sitting on my lap and I feel like I haven't seen her all week! Really I saw her on Monday morning but that was more than 48 hours ago! I wrap one arm around her waist as Charlie passes her a plate and gives me a little half smirk and a wink. I smirk back at him as Bella says, "Okay, I have a suggestion to make; I think we should move these dinners of ours to Sunday nights. We're just too many people and it's too big a production to keep doing it during the week. Would everyone be okay with that?"

Everyone looks around and says that they're fine with that and so the motion carries. Billy looks at Bell and asks, "So Bells hon, how has school been going for you?"

Bella blushes a little and says, "oh it's fine, you know, the usual."

The way she says it in this dismissive little voice is what tips me off first that she's lying even before the imprint connection gives me that little nagging feeling that she's not being honest and I say, "Baby girl is there something you're not telling us?"

She sighs and replies, "it's really not important Sam. We knew going in that I wasn't going to be very popular at LPH. It's nothing that bothers me and it's also nothing that we can change."

Paul interjects, "It's that fucking guidance counselor, Dr. Watkins. Every day she calls Bella to her office and starts lecturing her about the rumors that Janna started about her.

How she's going to have her expelled for lying about her residence status because the address on her transcript is the one down the street and she 'has it on good authority from fine upstanding Quileute students that Bella is living in sin with a man on the reservation'. It's sickening man, I thought that Bella telling her off the first day when she confronted her about the pregnancy rumor that that would have been the end of it!

I know that the other kids believing it doesn't bother her but this lady is a real piece of work. Bella name-dropped Billy the first day thinking that would put her in her place but it hasn't. I'm sorry Bella I know you didn't want to get anyone in trouble or to have Billy fight your battles but they have to know! This bitch is an adult and an authority figure, she's not a teenager with no brain."

I watch as Billy's face gets 4 shades redder and Charlie starts to choke and sputter on his food, he finally coughs it up and says, "Bella you're not pregnant are you?"

Bella groans loudly and says, "Oh God DAD! Not you too! Please! No! I'm NOT PREGNANT! Should I take an ad out in the paper? Maybe I should have a live fucking pelvic exam, would that satisfy everyone?"

She gets up and runs into our bedroom and I wait a few minutes before following after her, I find her on the bed crying. I rub her back and make soothing sounds for a minute until she gets control over herself and I ask her, "B are you okay? I'm sorry we made you switch schools honey, don't worry Billy is on a rampage and he'll put that bitch in her place!"

She smiles a little at that and sighs before she says, "It's not even that Sam. It's just the fact that every single person at that school besides the pack and Jakes probable imprint Shanna thinks that I'm a huge whore! They think that I'm sleeping with my boyfriends half brother AND all his friends. What the fuck is wrong with them that they think that's even plausible?

Honestly it's mostly the guidance counselor; she's supposed to help us! She's not supposed to be the one heaping more shit on top of someone who could already be troubled and fragile. What if I or any other girl in that school actually WAS pregnant? Can you imagine how alone and scared a girl in that situation would be? And she just sits there and judges from her place of power and heaps more problems and shame on top of them? That's not just fucked up Sam; it's fucking despicable! As far as the other kids go their comments don't really bother me except that they're incredibly boring and repetitive."

I nod and tell her, "I agree, 100% with what you're saying Bells, the counselor is out of line and trust me when I say that with how angry Billy and your dad are that she probably won't be a counselor for much longer. I have a feeling he'll march up there tomorrow and have her fired."

She smiles at that a little and gets up and gives me a hug, I pick her up and hold her tight, I've missed her the last couple of days. We go back out to the living room and settle back in. She apologizes for the outburst and everyone just tells her not to be silly. Dinner passes in a blur and the guys clean up and put a few plates aside for Quil who is sure to stop over later.

The girls are serving cake and coffee, Charlie and Billy are deep in conversation about what they'd like to do to Bella's guidance counselor. The guys are having a halo tournament and Kay and Embry are talking about his plans for the rest of the week. Bella hands me a small slab of cake and I grin at her like an idiot as she sits down next to me.

Kay leaves around 8 and the rest of us are hanging in the living room. I turn to Bella and say, "Hey B, tell us about this Shanna girl you think is Jake's imprint."

Suddenly all attention is on Bella and Jake comes and sits next to her on her other side as she says, "Well, her name is Shanna Ridgeway. She's a sophomore like them, her mom and Janna's mom have been best friends since they were kids and apparently she and Janna's birthdays are only a couple of days apart. That's why their names rhyme; their moms planned it.

She seems like a really nice girl but every time I try to get her to talk about Jake and the night she met him in more detail either someone interrupts us or she gets upset. I don't know I need to try to get her outside of school I think.

Actually I may have a plan for that, I'm going to invite her out for a girls afternoon with me and my friend Angela from Forks, they're the same age and have similar interests so they should get along and if it turns out that I'm wrong and she's not the girl then no harm no foul. I don't want to bring her over here until we know for sure though.

Speaking of Angela, Sam do you think it would be ok if she came down for the party on Saturday night? I think she'd get along well with everyone and I'd like for you and the guys to meet her Sam. I have a good feeling about it."

I nod at her and say, "Bella, this is your home too babe. You don't need to ask me permission to invite a friend over here, just give us a heads up that there's going to be a non imprint around and we'll behave accordingly."

She smiles and gives me a kiss and I bring my hand up and place it on her cheek cradling her face as I deepen the kiss a bit. About a minute later we're broken out of our reverie by whistles and catcalls. Charlie is looking at me a little exasperated because he knows it's taking me every ounce of restraint I have to keep from going into my room and getting the engagement ring that I bought Bella for Christmas.

I had shown it to him when we went on our fishing trip right after Thanksgiving. I asked him for his blessing to ask her and he had given it albeit a bit grudgingly reminding me she was still in high school and that I better not even think about letting her drop out to get married and make me little wolves.

I told him that I wouldn't dream of encouraging her to do that, I just wanted her to know how much she meant to me. He had muttered something about hoping for my sake Bella was more like him than Renee and I had nodded and went back to my line.

I told him I was trying to wait for Christmas but that I was having a hard time restraining myself every time I got close to her. I wanted to ask her so bad but I wanted to get through this shit with Jake and his imprint issues first and I was really hoping that all of that could be worked out before Christmas Eve. Oh well, hopefully with Bell on the job it would get done.

****Bella POV****

Something is going on with Sam and my dad. They're definitely hiding something from me but I can't figure out what. They started acting funny last Sunday when they got back from their fishing trip the Sunday after Thanksgiving, something tells me one of them wanted to get me an expensive Christmas gift and was trying to convince the other that I'd be ok with it.

The last of the dessert dishes done I head out to say goodbye to everyone. Half an hour later I'm standing in Sam's doorway with his arms around my waist and mine around his neck and he's kissing me softly, Dad and I had driven down together in the cruiser he was doing his last night shift as the Chief of FPD tonight and while I really didn't want to be alone I knew better than to ask for an extra night after he so graciously already gave us one this week. Sam tells me to text him later and I tell him I definitely will before giving him one last kiss, and going to the car.

On the way home I pester dad about the secret that him and Sam seem to be sharing lately telling him that it's not very nice of him to hide things from his only baby girl. He laughs and tells me that I should just give it up because no way is he going to give me any information. He's the cop he knows all the interrogation tricks. I laugh at him and settle back into my seat. I'm hoping to have this Jake imprint stuff settled before Christmas; so far it's looking good. I feel like I haven't seen Sam at all lately and while I love spending time with him with the rest of our crazy family I feel like we haven't been getting enough alone time, hopefully that's another thing that will improve once this imprint thing is taken care of.

**A/N: Thanks again everyone for reading! Sorry for the shorter chapter but everything is starting to fall into place and start moving along! Leave me some love! Also thanks to all who checked out my new Bella/Quil story "How Do We Take Our Path to Happiness" it's going to be pretty angst ridden but I have high hopes for it. As always though this story is my first priority until it's finished!**


	24. Plotting

**A/N: Stephanie Meyer owns Twilight and all characters and situations contained therein. I just play with them and make them do my bidding. **

****Bella POV Friday after last bell****

I'm walking to my locker thinking about what happened yesterday; _Thursday morning Billy and Sam drove me to school. I was mortified but I knew that it had to be done. No I hadn't wanted to get anyone in trouble or to cost anyone their job but Dr. Watkins behavior was what ultimately cost her. Sam and Billy brought me straight to her office where she was waiting with the principal. I guess Billy phoned ahead. _

_Dr. Watkins quaked when both Sam and Billy struck her with murderous glares. Billy spoke first addressing the principal, "Dr. Cordero, can you explain to me why my best friends daughter, who I personally enrolled in this school, came home yesterday and broke down crying? _

_No I'm sure you can't because Bella is a kind hearted girl who never wants to complain or cause trouble and I'll tell you right now that she was hell bent on not saying a word about her treatment at the hands of this narrow minded gossipmonger. I had to get the details from my daughter Rachel's boyfriend Paul Dixon. Bella confirmed them when I confronted her with them._

_It seems that your Dr. Watkins has been dragging this young lady, who I consider another daughter to me, down to this office every day this week and threatening her and berating her over issues that are frankly none of the school's business but that also aren't even true! _

_My son's former girlfriend Janna Barnes started some very nasty rumors about Bella because she is upset that my son broke up with her and she thinks because Jacob used to have a crush on Bella that it's Bella's fault. Nothing could be further from the truth. Dr. Cordero, Have you met Sam Uley?"_

_Dr. Cordero shakes his head and replies, "No, I haven't but I know who he is. Tell me Billy I understand why you're here but is it really necessary to have another Elder in on this? I mean Bella isn't even Quileute so why is the council so involved in her affairs? If she is having a problem with other students or staff she should bring her complaints to me and I will deal with them."_

_Sam cuts him off his eyes and mouth are tight with anger, "Dr. Cordero Bella may not be Quileute but she is extremely important to the council, as you know Billy and Harry Clearwater have been her father's best friends since adolescence. Old Quil Ateara Sr. is also very fond of her as she's a good friend of his grandson's although he doesn't know her or her father as well as the rest of the council members. She is also a close personal friend of mine._

_So let me just issue you a fair warning, dismiss her again or imply that she is worth less than any other student in this school because of the color of her skin and you will have a very angry council to deal with. I have never in my life been more ashamed of the elder members of this tribe than I am right now. The chief of this tribe enrolled her in this school and told you very specifically that she was part of his family. _

_I'm going to be honest with you, Bella did us a huge favor by agreeing to switch schools for the remainder of the year, old Sherriff Wakes is retiring at the end of the year. We desperately needed someone with experience who knew the res, none of the deputies are experienced enough. Quil Sr. recommended that we ask Charlie Swan. Who has more experience than the Chief of Fork's PD, not only that but his close relationship with Billy and Harry means he knows the res, he's a perfect fit. _

_The one thing people can say for Charlie Swan above everything else is he is a devoted father. We offered him the job, offered to buy him a home and give him a stipend on top of his salary and his answer was that if Bella wasn't willing to move or we weren't willing to accommodate her by accepting her into the res school than he was going to have to turn us down."_

_Billy interrupted, "Now we're here to make an adjustment to the school staff, Dr. Watkins by order of the Quileute council of Elders you are relieved of your duties here."_

_The woman interjected voice tight and angry, "On what grounds?"_

_Billy replied, "first off, for insisting that you had any right to know anything about Isabella's medical history. If a girl is pregnant the school does NOT need to be informed, and the student does not need to be home schooled, that's an option that we offer based on the comfort and preference of the student themselves. _

_Secondly, for berating and emotionally tormenting a girl that you believed to be in a fragile condition. If Bella was pregnant do you think that bringing her into your office and berating her would do her any good? Lastly, for making threats to have her expelled when you knew damn well she hadn't done anything wrong. _

_I think you need to re-evaluate your career choice __**Dr**__. I don't think counseling is the right path for you. Cordero, if I ever hear about this kind of behavior from any member of your staff again I will remove you from your place as Principal, are we clear?"_

_Dr. Cordero looks a couple of shades paler as he tells Billy that yes they are clear. He apologizes to me and tells Dr. Watkins that he'll be sending the security guard to help her clear her office out and escort her off school property and Sam Billy and I leave the office._

"Bella? Bella? BELLA!" I shake my head sharply and turn to see Shanna waving her hand at me, "Geeze, Bella did your brain freeze or something?"

I laugh and reply, "Nah girl, I was just lost in thought I guess, sorry. Are you ready to go?"

She nods and we head out to my truck. I figure with the 25-minute drive up to Angela's this is the best time to bring up Jake, she can't run from me or distract me with anything here. I take a breath and say, "so Shanna, my friend Jake was asking me about you the other day."

She replies nonchalantly, "Oh? Why would he ask about me?"

I take a deep breath and tell her, "He was telling me about the night he met Janna, they're pretty much over and he vaguely remembered meeting you so he asked me to ask you what you thought of him. Which in my eyes means he loses more age points because god damn if that's not just so fucking high school but he's like my kid brother so I'm doing him a favor"

She considers this for a moment and replies, "Well like I told you he was high and I didn't get to even say anything to him but I felt something when he shook my hand. It was this warmth, his hand was really hot but that's not what I mean and then this low feeling of electricity, like a humming current going from his hand to mine. I don't know how to explain it and it's probably the stupidest thing you've ever heard but I swear it's what I felt! I don't know why but since that night I can't stop thinking about Jake, I feel like I have to be in his life I would love to even just be his friend but Janna made that impossible! Why do I feel like this Bella?"

I nod at her keeping calm on the outside but inside I'm jumping for fucking joy! Hopefully by the time we go back to school on Monday this shit will be settled! I realize she's looking at me and waiting for a response.

I shake my head and say, "I believe you about the current, Shanna. I feel like that every time Sam touches me. Look we are going to go to the movies and then out to dinner with Ang and then I'll drop her off and you and I can go talk to my boyfriend Sam about some stuff ok? I know this sounds cryptic but I can't talk about it right now ok? I promise all questions will be answered later tonight though."

She nods and says that would be fine and about 10 minutes later we pull up at Angela's house.

****Sam POV about 3 hours later****

I'm lounging in my living room smoking a bowl and listening to Hatebreed on my stereo when I get a text from Bella, '_Babe, it's definitely Shanna! She confirmed the electricity, says she hasn't been able to get Jake off her mind since that night, that she feels like she has to know him. We're going to Chili's with Ang and then I'm bringing her to yours we should be there in about 2 hours, I think we should tell her everything and get this shit in motion if that's cool-xX'_

I give an excited whoop and fist pump the air before texting her back, '_That's fucking epic baby definitely bring her here, I think we can orchestrate the switch at the party tomorrow after Ang leaves of course-Xx' _

I call the guys and tell them that with the exception of Jake and Embry my place is off limits tonight, I'm not going to overwhelm the poor girl right off, she'll meet everyone tomorrow. Plus with a young imprint now we're going to have to set some new ground rules. With Janna we never really worried about her drinking or smoking with us because no way in hell was that going to happen. She made it a point to leave when we would start loosening up and we were more than happy with that.

Jake shows up about an hour after Bella texted me and comes in and flops into my armchair looking like he's going to puke. I laugh at him a little and say, "What's wrong Jakie? Nervous?"

He scowls in my direction and says, "Like you wouldn't be? It's bad enough I had to have the most fucked up imprinting mishap but now I actually have to meet my real imprint and tell her everything including the fact that even though she's my imprint I'm still hooked by Janna and I need her help to get out of it? Would you be calm cool and collected if you had to tell a girl you had never had a conversation with before any of that shit Sam?"

I can't help it and I react like an asshole and start laughing saying through my laughter, "dude you have a point I would probably be shaking like a leaf just thinking about Janna's reaction when she finds out she's out of your life!"

He actually cracks a smile replying, "oh yeah, she's already halfway there and it hasn't been pretty, I have a feeling it's just going to get uglier."

He goes into the kitchen and comes back with a soda and I turn off the stereo and toss him the remote for the cable, and he rents some lame horror movie off of the on demand and we watch it mst3k'ing it the whole time.

We hear Bella's truck pull up and Jake turns the volume on the TV down as we listen to the girls whisper back and forth as they make their way to the door. A minute later Bella lets herself in followed by a tall Quileute girl with dark brown hair and striking emerald green eyes. Paul wasn't kidding when he said she was beautiful, I'm glad that things are gunna work out for the kid, she's much prettier than Janna and just looking at her I can tell she's a hell of a lot nicer too.

B comes over and sits next to me on the couch giving me a kiss on the cheek before introducing us all, "Shanna this is my boyfriend Samuel Uley. Sam, this is Shanna Ridgeway."

I stick out my hand and she shakes it as I say, "It's nice to meet you Shanna, I know you've met Jacob here before but I don't think you two were formally introduced. Shanna meet Jacob Black"

She mumbles out a "Hi" and looks shyly away. Jake of course still looks like he's going to have a coronary at any second and doesn't do much better.

Great, looks like I have my work cut out for me. I take a deep breath and begin, "Shanna, how much do you know about the Quileute legends?"

She looks a little confused as she pipes up, "Umm not a lot, I know the gist of them that we're descended from wolves and that in times of great danger certain male members of the tribe will be given the ability to shift and become one with the wolf. Why? What does that have to do with anything?"

I take a shaky breath and Jake speaks up, "The stories are true Shanna. They're all true. Sam, me, all of our friends, we're all werewolves."

For a second she just looks bewildered, then she starts laughing, "oh haha you guys really good joke. Bella are you a werewolf too?"

She breaks off and her face goes from amused to annoyed, "Bella why did you bring me here? I thought you said I was going to get answers?"

Bella looks at her sympathetically, "They're not joking Shanna. They are werewolves; if you want they can prove it to you I'm sure. The reason I brought you here is that the answer to your question lies in the legends, but you need to believe them first so are you going to take it at face value or do you want to go out to the yard and Jake will prove it to you?"

Shanna's face has gone a few shades paler and she looks worried now, "Umm I think I'll need to see some proof. I mean you guys have to understand that this isn't something I can just accept, oh werewolves are real big whoop."

I nod at her and stand up telling her to follow me. We head to the yard Jake trailing behind me, Bella sits on the porch swing while Shanna leans against my porch railing. Jake goes to the tree line staying within visual range of the girls and pulls his polo shirt over his head, he reaches for his belt and Shanna says, "Whoa, what the fuck? I don't remember asking for a live strip show you guys"

Bella smiles and tells her, "don't worry focus on his face, he has to take them off or they'll get shredded."

She looks uncomfortable but does as she's told as Jake gets a look of intense concentration and starts shaking as the change takes over and he explodes into fur.

He yips as Shanna sinks to the porch floor looking very badly shaken. Bella goes to her and asks her if she's ok. She takes a deep breath and nods, "Well I guess you really weren't kidding. That's a trip. Does Janna know?"

Bella snorts derisively, "Yeah she knows, bitch has caused more problems than she knows. Come on, let's go inside, Jake will phase back and they'll come in when he's dressed."

I watch as Bella leads Shanna back inside and Jake trots over to me and yips, I laugh and say, "What's that boy? Timmy fell down the well? You wanna play fetch? I'll have to have you neutered first!"

By the time I get the last of it out I'm on the ground laughing and Jake gives a disgruntled snort before going to the tree line and phasing back where he left his shorts. I head back in and he comes in behind me.

We get back into the living room and Shanna immediately asks, "So what does this have to do with me and why I can't get Jake out of my head?"

I looked at Bella pleadingly. She nodded and took over.

****Bella POV****

"You see Shanna, there's another legend. It's called Imprinting and it's what happens to a werewolf when he finds his soul mate. It's what brought Sam and I together, he imprinted on me. They say that when a wolf finds his imprint he will look into her eyes and everything on earth that means anything to him, his family, friends, other women, will cease to matter. She will be the only thing holding him to this earth.

4 of the wolves have imprinted, unfortunately one of these is incomplete. Apparently when you met Jake that night at the beach another legend came to fruition. The guys were never told that it might be possible to identify their imprint by touch but it is. The current; that low feeling of electricity is the imprint. The need you feel to know Jake and have him in your life is the imprint.

Unfortunately there's a problem with your imprint. When Janna pushed you, you didn't let go of Jake's hand but it was her eyes he looked into, this set in motion what is called a 'shadow' or 'phantom' imprint. It's extremely rare; Sam calls it a perfect storm of bad luck." I sighed and took a deep breath trying to gauge Shanna's reaction.

She was watching Jake carefully and he had on his most soulful gaze. She turned to me and said, "So you're saying that Jake and I are soul mates but Janna messed up our recognition of one another?"

We all nod and she asks, "Is there a way to fix it? I mean what happens? I feel bound to him but he feels bound to her and where does she even fit in, in this mess?"

"Well we mostly look at her as a giant pain in the ass. The thing is that while Jake feels something for her as a human when he is a wolf he knows she's not the one. His instinctual side knows she isn't you." I tell her hoping she will understand. She nods and I relax a little.

I hold Sam's hand as I tell her, "there is a way to fix it, what happens is you're going to come to a party here tomorrow night, I'm going to introduce you to Jake like you've never met him before. He's going to be holding Janna's hand and you're going to hold your hand out for him to shake. When he takes your hand make sure you hold on and look him in the eye, do not break eye or hand contact until Jake has let go of Janna's hand.

According to the texts if he lets go of her first while still touching you and looking into your eyes it will break the shadow of the first imprint and allow him to imprint for real. Do you think you can do that?"

She takes an unsteady breath and says, "Yeah I can do that. What about Janna though, I mean she knows everything right? So what are you going to do to ensure she doesn't blab?"

Jake takes this and I'm surprised by the tone in his voice as he says, "we threaten her. She's never seen me in my wolf body. Can you imagine what she'll feel if all of us are there in wolf form surrounding her while Bella tells her that if she ever opens her mouth we'll all be there to give her her just due?"

Sam and I laugh because damn would that bitch deserve it. He wraps his arm around me and addresses Shanna, "so tomorrow at 8, everyone is going to come by here, are you in or out Shanna? If you're in you're in, there's no going back."

She looks at Sam determined as she says, "I'm definitely in, that bitch has been treating my like shit since October and I'm more than happy to get a little payback on her, she got all my friends to ditch me by telling them I was making unwanted advances on Jake, let's see what happens when I really do take him from her."

Damn I knew I liked her, it makes me happy to know she's Jake's real imprint. She's just the type of girl I would have chosen for him. We spend the next 2 hours making plans and plotting before I toss my keys at Jake and tell him to take his girl home and that we'll see them tomorrow. I can't wait!


	25. Goodbye Forever Bitch!

**A/N: Stephanie Meyer owns Twilight and all characters and situations contained therein. Oh my God, you guys! The response to the last chapter was AWESOME! Thank you so much!**

****Bella POV Saturday evening****

Sam sent me a text letting me know that Jake and Janna had arrived at the party at about 8:30; I was in Forks hanging out in my room with Shanna and Angela. The plan was in effect, Jake had told Janna that Sam and I were having problems and spending some time apart. With only her and Jakes half imprint for reference she figured that was plausible enough and didn't ask too many questions.

Jake had given her some song and dance about wanting to work things out between them, that watching Sam and I go through what they had gone through made him want to recommit to their relationship. It was all a bunch of bullshit of course but all part of the plan.

Within 10 minutes of the text we all piled into my truck, the girls and I were dressed sexily; Shanna was wearing a pair of flare leg trousers with a tight grey striped sweater that had a revealing v-neck with a pair of heels, Angela was wearing a fitted red long sleeve tee with a short black skirt and a pair of ballet flats, and I was wearing a fitted black scoop neck tee with a white rose design on it with my short pink and black plaid skirt and my knee high docs.

The whole way down to Sam's I could see Shanna looking more and more nervous, I finally pulled over a block away and told Ang we'd be right back. I pulled her out of the cab of my truck and pulled her a short distance away, "Shanna you need to calm down and breathe girl! Remember the plan, we're going to get there I'm going to get Embry to keep Angela occupied and we're going to get this done. Are you going to be okay? If you want we can push this back, do it another day if you're not ready."

She took a few deep breaths and leaned against the edge of the flatbed before looking determined and saying, "No Bell, I got this, that bitch has had my man long enough! Lets go get this done!"

I nod and we get back in the truck, Angela looks at me a little funny but brushes it off as I smile at her and we get moving again. I pull up in front of Sam's and we go in, I see Embry straight off and call him over, "Em! Come here for a minute, I want you to meet my friend from Forks!"

He makes his way over a beer in his hand and gives me a one armed hug I take the opportunity to whisper in his ear, "She's 16 and normal Em, if she asks you for a beer tell her Sam wouldn't like it. I don't want any angry phone calls if I have to bring her home drunk and I think Charlie may show up later and if any minors who aren't wolves are drinking we're all going to be fucked. Also don't offer her any of Sam's weed."

He nods and steps back from me and I introduce him to Angela, "Angela Weber this is Sam's brother Embry Call. Embry this is Angela Weber my best and only girlfriend from Forks High."

She looks up and their eye's meet and it's like BAM! I can't help it and I shout out, "FUCK!"

Embry is looking like a dear in the headlights and Angela's mouth is hanging open as she stares at Embry in awe, I smile at Em as he tears his eyes away from her and I say, "Go have some fun Em."

I pull him in to hug him again and whisper, "Dude, get to know her, but DO NOT tell her anything about the imprint or anything until after we settle this Janna shit. As soon as that's done Sam and I will sit down with you both and help you explain it to her okay?"

He whispers back, "Alright, that sounds like a good plan I'm gunna take her outside so we can talk, tell Sam to come find me after this shit goes down"

I watch as they walk away and I'm just so fucking happy! Angela is going to know everything I'm going to get to have my best friend in all aspects of my life! I'm ripped out of my reverie by Janna who has spotted me as she sneers out, "Oh look who it is! I was told you weren't welcome at this party Bella."

She stalks over to me with Jake's hand in a death grip and I smile a fake friendly smile at her. I wait till she is right in front of me before I say, "Oh, Jake must have misunderstood, I told him I was just going to be late, he probably thought you guys would be long gone by the time I got here."

I switch my gaze to Jake and smirk as Shanna comes up beside me. The look on Janna's face is utterly fucking priceless; her eyes widen in shock and then narrow in anger as she takes in Shanna from head to toe. I clear my throat and Janna looks at me but she's the only one, Shanna and Jake are staring deep into each other's eyes as I say "Jake, I want you to meet my friend Shanna Ridgeway. Shanna this is Jacob Black."

He takes his hand in hers and staring into her eyes says, "It's great to meet you."

They continue to hold on tight to each other's hands and look deep into each other's eyes as Janna starts to explode, "What the fuck Jake! Stop touching that whore! What the fuck are you thinking?"

I smirk to myself and see that Jakes hand is lax in hers and I take the opportunity to smash my fist into her face as hard as I can. Her lip splits instantly and she crumples to the ground with a cry of pain. I see Jake put his other hand on Shanna's to signal that it's done and I watch as looks of awe and love cross their faces and in the blink of an eye Jake's lips are locked onto hers.

Janna gets her bearings back and see's Jake and Shanna in the middle of a super hot lip lock and starts screaming at the top of her lungs. I swear it's like a bomb going off and I fucking SNAP, I grab her hair and drag her through to the back door, opening it and pushing her through it and off the porch laughing as she falls into the yard. Out of the corner of my eye I see Embry pulling Angela back inside and I hear the stereo come on thumping bass the volume louder than usual.

She gets up and we start circling each other, finally I have had enough of this bullshit, I take two strides and punch her in the stomach screaming, "That's for telling everyone that I was pregnant and didn't know who the father was!"

She grabs my hair and pulls hard, fuck that hurts! I kick her in her kneecap and she stumbles back as I smack her hard straight across the face, "That's for saying I slept with anyone who wasn't Sam!"

She throws a punch that I easily side step and I pull my arm back and punch her with every bit of strength I have in the eye as I scream, "AND THAT, is for being a nasty, vicious, lying, backstabbing cunt who talks down on everyone and everything around them and thinks that no one is going to do anything about it!"

At that moment my arms are grabbed and I can tell by the feeling of electricity that it's Sam, he kisses my cheek and whispers in my ear, "That's enough baby, she has to be conscious to hear the news you have to tell her. The guys are in position, it's all you now babe"

I relax and look around, Kim is grinning her ass off on the porch looking like she just won the fucking lottery. Janna gets back on her feet and starts talking shit, "Oh bitch you just made such a huge mistake! I'm going to have you arrested and my father is going to sue you for every penny you and your worthless father have! You'll be in jail for assault and Jake will take over as Alpha and I'll be running things."

I just laugh at her, "Janna did you not see Jake all over Shanna? Here's the thing, you're not his imprint. She is! He doesn't want you anymore. I know he hasn't spent time with you lately other than at school and the only reason he did that was so he wouldn't feel the pull of your fake imprint. Your imprint is broken Janna; you don't belong here! Unfortunately, you know too much! We can't just let you go now can we?"

At this statement 4 huge wolves come out of the forest, I see Paul's silver grey, Jared's tawny brown, Jake's russet, and Quil's chocolate brown as they circle her. They're growling and snapping at the air and honestly if I didn't know that this was all part of the plan I would be utterly terrified and probably pissing myself at the sight of these gigantic creatures.

Janna is sobbing now that she's sorry, she knows she's been a horrible person, but that if we let her go she'll never tell anyone about them. She won't press charges against me or ever tell anyone that it was me who beat her up. When she starts offering to pay us Sam breaks in, "Janna Barnes, as a member of the council I am telling you that if you ever breathe a word of this night to anyone! ANYONE! You will be subjected to tribal law and these wolves will be your judge, jury, and executioner! Do you accept that you are no longer an imprint?"

She sobs out a yes and Sam continues, "Do you swear an oath on penalty of death that you will never speak a word of the wolves or anything that happened here tonight to anyone ever in your life?"

Again she sobs out her answer, "Yes I swear please I swear I won't ever tell anyone! I swear I will never tell anyone about you and I swear I won't press charges or ever say a word against Bella ever again! Just please! Please don't kill me! Please let me go! I swear after high school I will leave the res and never come back! Just please let me go!"

Sam tells her that she doesn't have to exile herself just keep her word and keep her disgusting mouth shut. He whistles then and the wolves stop circling her breaking into ranks of two on either side of her providing her with a clear path out of the yard. She runs to the side gate and pulls it open and shoots through it.

Sam listens carefully and about 2 minutes later says, "She's gone! She's off the block, all right you guys! Go phase back and meet us inside! Let's get this fucking party STARTED!"

The guys go into the trees and Sam takes my hand and brings it up to his lips kissing the cuts and bruises on my knuckles chuckling, "you got a hell of a right hook there killer, lets get your scrapes cleaned out. Wouldn't want you getting an infection or anything."

I laugh and follow him into the kitchen before I remember, "Wait! Sam! I have the best news! Embry imprinted!"

He looks shocked, "What? On who?"

I smile, "that's the best part! The friend I brought down here tonight, Angela Weber, she's his imprint! It happened when I introduced them! I told him to get to know her but not say anything and that you and I would sit down with them and talk them through it when we were done with the Janna bullshit"

He finishes bandaging my hand just as the rest of the guys come in from outside, they all whoop and fist bump me telling me that I kick ass. We all laugh and Embry comes in leading Angela by the hand, they're smiling goofy ass smiles at each other and I see Quil's shoulders slump and he looks sad.

My heart is breaking for him because I know he wanted to be the next to imprint and I go and pull him into a hug telling him, "Don't worry Quil honey, it'll happen for you soon, I just know it! I have a good feeling; you'll find the one who's meant to be yours soon! Just be positive!"

He smiles at me and says thanks as he goes and grabs a beer. Angela comes up beside me and says, "Bella can I have a beer?"

I groan a little and call Sam over, "Babe, she wants a beer…"

He shakes his head and asks her and Em to join us on the porch.

We go through the imprint explanation with the two of them and Angela takes it fantastically. Em phases and shows her his wolf and she actually pets him smiling and says that she's always wanted a puppy. Sam and I laugh while Em snorts indignantly.

She turns to me and says, "So Bella this means that we're going to be sisters! Because when you marry Sam, Em will be your brother in law and then when I marry him I'll be your sister in law!"

We laugh and I tell her that I think it's awesome and I make a joke that it must be something in the Uley blood that makes them the only two wolves in history to imprint on non-native girls.

We go back in and Angela again asks if she can have a beer. Sam frowns and calls for attention, "Ok! With two new imprints I'm sorry to say that I'm going to have to lay some new rules for these parties that we have!"

Everyone groans at the word rules but Sam continues on, "Shanna, Angela, the two of you are our youngest imprints. I'm sorry but I cannot let you drink or smoke with the rest of us, there are plenty of non alcoholic drinks that you can help yourselves to but I respectfully ask that you please don't try to sneak beers or liquor or get your boyfriends to give you smoke.

Alcohol doesn't affect us the same way it does regular people I know it seems unfair that Quil, Jake, and Em are your same age and allowed to indulge but they are given special allowances because of their tribal duties and the fact that alcohol doesn't affect them, plus the fact that physically they are 21. It's almost physically impossible for us to get drunk and I need you girls to understand that.

Also my future father in law is a police officer and if he was to stop by which he'll probably be doing at some point tonight and find us allowing underage girls to use alcohol or marijuana I would be in really deep shit, I could lose my house, my business, and face charges. Are we clear? I promise when you hit 18 it won't be as big a deal but as minors I can't let it happen here."

Angela and Shanna nod and tell him they understand and that they will respect our wishes in our home.

We all start to relax and enjoy the party Sam and I are talking with Jared and Kim about taking a camping trip together when the weather warms up in a few months when Jared gets a text. He checks it and says, "Hey Sam is it okay if my cousin Claire stops by? Her family just moved down from Makah, she's 16 and my mom wants me to introduce her Kim and Bella."

Sam nods, "Of course that's fine, and it'll give Quil someone new to look in the eye."

We all kind of chuckle at that and Jared leaves to go pick her up from his house.

We're dancing when Jared comes back in with a short pixie looking girl, she kind of reminds me of Alice, if Alice was alive and Native American, and I smile at the thought. She looks painfully shy and I watch as Quil walks up to introduce himself only to stop short as she looks up into his eyes.

His face goes slack for a minute but he composes himself and a huge grin breaks across his face. I grab Sam's face and drag his lips to mine and kiss him passionately for a minute before breaking away and saying, "Here we go again!"

**A/N: ok wow so Janna is finally gone! YAY! Bella beat that bitch's ass! I know a lot of you thought Angela would be Quil's imprint but I had always planned for her to be with Embry, she couldn't be with Jake because of him being future Chief. It made sense to me that with Embry being Sam's brother that he would also imprint on a non-native girl. Now that all the imprint business is sorted we can get back to some serious Bella/Sam interaction. I hope you all enjoyed this chapter; leave me some love!**


	26. Tonight is the night!

**A/N: Stephanie Meyer owns Twilight and all recognizable characters and situations contained therein. I just play with them and make Bella more badass. Thank you guys so much for reading and reviewing! Ok this is gonna have to get you guys through till after Christmas cus I have to go to my mother in laws and I won't have access to a computer.**

****Sam POV the week after the party ****

Wow did life get crazy quick. After Janna bolted from the party Bella told me that Embry imprinted on the friend she had brought down from Forks, Angela Weber. I had just finished giving a speech to everyone about how the younger imprint girls would have to stay fully sober to avoid me facing charges of providing intoxicants to minors and possibly losing my home and contractor's license which would in turn cause me to lose my business. Shanna and Angela were really nice about it saying that they would respect my rules.

Shortly after that Jared asked if he could bring his 16yr old cousin Claire who had just moved down from Makah over and when she got there the first thing that happened was Quil imprinted on her! So I ended up having the imprint discussion twice in one night. Thank God I will never have to have that conversation again.

I get off the ladder and look around, Embry is doing a good job, I decided to put Christmas lights up all over the inside of the house. Em is doing the living room for me with the colored ones while I put little white ones all over the ceiling of my bedroom.

It's December 23rd and tonight is the night I propose to Bella. I finish the work I'm doing in the house and Embry and I go for a quick patrol, we haven't seen a vampire since shortly after the Cullen's skipped town but we still did quick patrols throughout the day to make sure there weren't any new scents.

Paul phased in with us, '_Hey Sam, Em. What's doin?'_

I answer, '_Not much man, just doin a quick patrol before I have to get ready meet B, tonight is the night man.'_

Paul laughs a little _'Congrats Sammie boy, you know she'll say yes! I'm happy for you man, really. I just hope Rachel doesn't get jealous I want to be out of high school before I propose but if she gets upset I'll push it up.'_

Embry interrupts, '_I don't think she'll be upset Paul, she knows how important finishing school is for you. What about Kim though, Sam? I mean she's been an imprint the longest do you think she'll be upset with Jared that they've been together for over a year and he hasn't popped the question yet?'_

I answer, '_Actually Em, Jared's planning on proposing to her New Years Eve when the ball drops. We're hoping because her and B have similar simple tastes that they'll want to have a double wedding.'_

They both laugh at that a little as we take the trail over to Charlie's place, it's empty of course, Charlie did his last shift as FPD last weekend. We had gotten the repairs and renovations done pretty quickly and the house was purchased by the first people who saw it, they were a nice young couple with a baby on the way, Charlie said they reminded him of himself and Renee when they moved in and he hoped they had a better outcome for themselves.

The guys and I had helped them move all the stuff from their old house to the new one the Monday after the party and their smell was already dissipating from the surrounding area. The pack had all agreed to keep the residence on our patrols because if Douchward and the rest of the Cullen's decided to return Charlie's old place would probably be Dickward's first stop if he decided to think I was bluffing on my threat to kill him if he so much as looked at Bella funny.

We circled the woods in the yard of the old Swan house and took deep breaths; the smell of bloodsucker had _finally_ dissipated so all was clear. We head back to my place and phase back in the yard.

The guys all go their separate ways and I go in to take a shower and get everything ready for tonight, I was taking Bella to a restaurant in Port Angeles.

****Bella POV****

I have been getting adjusted to the new house, tonight is the first night of Holiday break though so I get to stay over at Sam's tonight. Dad has been at the La Push station all day but he should be home before I walk over to Sam's. I have no idea what Sam has planned for tonight, all I know is he told me to dress nice. I go to my closet and pull out the dress I bought this afternoon, a short white knit sweater mini-dress with a grey allover design and a low v-neck. I pull it on over top of the black and hot pink bra and panty set that I bought when I went to the mall with Kim. I sit on the bed and pull on a pair of spike heel boots that come a little past my knees.

I look fuckin hot but the sweater dress is classy too. I style my hair into a French braid that goes down my back and then put my makeup on. I decide on a smoky eye and subdued lip-gloss and I'm ready to walk over to Sam's.

When I get to the living room I'm surprised to find my dad and Sam sitting in the recliners and talking, "Hey baby, I thought I was walking over to yours?"

He comes over and kisses me gently, "I figured I'd walk over here and walk back with you, I think Charlie wants to get a picture of us before we leave with your camera so you can put it in your scrapbook."

Dad comes over and hugs me whispering in my ear, "Bella honey you look beautiful!"

I look at both of them a little funny but just let it go and say thanks. Dad gets my digital camera and takes a few shots of us and we leave to walk over to Sam's.

The ride to Port Angeles Sam kept his hand on my thigh the whole time, just ghosting it up and down on the exposed skin from the hem of my dress to the top of my boots. I know he could smell what his touch was doing to me because he looked at me out the corner of his eye and smirked.

I blushed as I started to return the favor, He was dressed in nice black jeans and a button down black cotton shirt, dressy but casual at the same time, he looked like sex personified.

I was rubbing his leg through his pants and he growled low in his throat, "You are playing with fire Bella, I really want to make it to the restaurant honey."

I smirk at him and reply; "Oh but you can do it to me? That's fine right?"

He smiles a genuine smile and leans over to kiss my neck as we pull into a parking spot. Sam gets out of the truck and comes around and opens my door for me before taking my arm and helping me out.

I follow him into Bella Italia and all I can think is _fuck me!_ I know Sam has something big planned for tonight and my first instinct is to tell him to take us someplace else but then I really think about it and I realize fuck that! This is my man who I love and there is not anything on this earth that is going to make me ruin something he has obviously put weeks into setting up and planning.

Yes my first association with this restaurant was eating in it with Edward, but it's not like he ate here, he sat here end of story. I can enjoy this place with Sam; I can SHARE this place with Sam. I make up my mind in that moment that this is a good thing; it means that from now on I'll have a good association with this restaurant.

Sam guides me through the door with his big hot hand pressed to the small of my back. I love when he puts his hands on me like he's claiming me it doesn't happen often because most of our time is spent chilling at home with the guys. When we're out in public though like if we go out to eat or to the mall or a movie he always has his hands on me.

He gives the hostess our name and she leads us to a secluded booth in the back corner of the restaurant. Sam takes my jacket as I slide into the booth and he places it on the one side of the booth along with his own before sliding in beside me. The hostess hands us our menus and walks away.

I smile at him as he puts an arm around my shoulders and I lean in and kiss his neck and whisper in his ear, "What are you planning sexy? I know you have something up your sleeve, am I going to find out before the end of this meal?"

He laughs and drops his arm to run his hand up and down my side as he replies, "I'm not telling you what I'm planning, that would ruin the surprise. Yes you will find out by the end of this meal though."

I smile and cut off my next thought as the waiter approaches us, Sam orders a bottle of wine and the guy doesn't even ask us for ID. I look questioningly at Sam when he walks away and he says, "it's the imprint babe, you look a little older now, not so much that you would even notice it but your face has thinned out a little and you're a little bit curvier."

I nod as it makes sense I had had to go up a cup size when Kim, Rach and I went bra and panty shopping but just figured I hit a late growth spurt. I looked over the menu and decided on tortellini alfredo for my entrée. Sam and I talked easily and when the waiter came back he ordered 5 different appetizers and a steak with a baked potato and vegetable medley I gave my order and the waiter took our menus and walked away.

As soon as he walked away I turned to Sam and locked my lips to his, I had missed him so much the last week, Dad and I had moved and I hadn't had any alone time with Sam. He sucked my lower lip into his mouth and nibbled on it gently as he ran his hands all over my stomach and sides.

We broke apart only when the waiter brought the appetizers over. I put a small assortment on my plate while Sam inhaled the rest. The food was excellent we chatted and Sam asked the one question I was hoping he wouldn't, "So have you eaten here before B?"

I shrugged, "once, I came down to PA with Angela and Jessica, they were looking for dresses for some dance and I came down to help them look even though I wasn't going. I ended up getting off the main strip and walked myself into a stupid situation; I got cornered by 4 guys at the mouth of an alley, they got all up in my face and I started to defend myself when Cullen showed up.

Apparently he had followed me into the city. That should have shown me what he was like, we didn't even know each other and he followed me when I was out with my friends. Freak. He thought I would go into shock or something so he dragged me in here and made me eat something. I'm glad to be here with you though, to experience it with someone who can share it with me."

He smiled, "Well I'm glad I'm better company than him. The food is good at least he got that right."

I laughed as I said, "Sam you're a wolf, you would and have eaten raw meat, I'm not sure how much I would trust your palate."

He scowled at me saying, "Hey! I only ate raw meat when I was stuck phased for those two months! I know good food and this is good food! Not as good as yours though babe."

I kissed his neck just under his ear and whisper, "Is that the only thing you're hungry for baby?"

He growls low in his throat and starts sucking on my neck, I know he's leaving a hickey but I can't even bring myself to care it feels so good I'm practically moaning at the table. Sam breaks away and looks at me with lust filled eyes as he says, "you are killing me baby, I have half a mind to just get the food to go but you aren't going to ruin your surprise!"

I pout a little and he just laughs, "don't worry baby I think you're going to love it."

By the time dinner is over I'm full and happy and all I can do is rub myself on Sam. I just want to go home and spend some time with my man.

He orders dessert and I say I'll share it with him but I probably won't, shortly after his tiramisu arrives he excuses himself and goes to the rest room I guess. I take a couple of bites of the dessert and it really is delicious, ugh, there is something about Italian food that makes me crave cigarettes, maybe I can talk Sam into buying a pack on the way home.

I see Sam come back but he doesn't sit down, he just stands in front of me till I look up at him questioningly. He gets down on one knee and I feel my heart start racing, oh my god, what is he doing? He takes one of my hands and starts talking, "Bella, I love you more than anything in the entire world. I want to be with you every minute of every day, you are the first thing I think about when I wake up and the last thing I think about when I go to bed. I want to have babies with you and raise them, I want my girls to have your eyes and my boys to have your heart.

I love you so much, you and Charlie are my family now along with Em and the guys. They love you too you know? The guys all think of you as a sister/mother figure. It's one of the things that makes me love you more than words can even describe, the way you love all of us, you love without reason, without restraint, without restrictions. You don't look at us and see a motley crew of rejects, you look at us and see your family. I love you so much Bella, would you please do me the honor of becoming my wife?"

And with those last words said he reached into his pocket and pulled out a beautiful white gold ring it had 5 small round diamonds channel set on either side of a beautiful marquis cut solitaire. I couldn't help it as tears started to slide down my face it was all just so beautiful, I looked into his eyes and managed to choke out "Of course I will marry you Sam! Oh my God, baby I love you so much!"

He slid the ring on my finger and it fit perfectly and all of a sudden we heard applause and cheers and I looked up to see all of our friends standing behind him.

Sam paid the bill quickly and we all walked outside, as soon as we got outside Embry grabbed me up in a huge hug telling me "I'm so happy for you and Sam, Bella! You'll officially be my sister!"

Angela grabbed me after him demanding to see the ring up close, all the girls gathered around and squealed in delight. It seemed everyone but Quil and Claire were there, I was a little upset that Quil hadn't come but Jake explained that they had needed someone to keep an eye on things just in case and that Claire had gotten grounded for sneaking out to see Quil last night so that was Quil's punishment for her getting in trouble.

Sam came up and put his arm around me telling the other guys to back off. I turned to him and said, "Wait, why did you have everyone come here? Aren't we going home now?"

He smiled and shook his head, "No way Bella I got you all dressed up and I want to show you off, we're going to that club they just opened a few months back, Paul says it's classy but has a rock edge, you picked the perfect outfit for that."

I looked at him as if he'd grown another head, "You're taking me to a club?"

He nodded, "yup, just think of it as you're giving the guys a treat, the younger guys could probably get in on their own because they look at least 21 and it's an 18+ club, younger girls don't get drink-bands of course but you and Rach and Kim deserve to cut loose and the guys do too"

I shrugged and said it sounded fine, I slung my coat on leaving it open and we walked the 3 blocks over to the club, once there Sam led us up to the door and said hey to the bouncer giving him a one armed man hug and talking to him like they were best friends. Turns out the bouncer, Damien, is one of Sam's boys from high school and is also the guy he buys weed from. He pulls me over and says, "Dami, I want you to meet my fiancé, this is Bella Swan."

Damien looks at Sam with a look of shock, "No way! Big Sam Uley is engaged?"

He looks me over head to toe and slaps Sam on the back, "She's fine man, no wonder you're lookin to take the plunge"

I blush and Sam just fake punches him, before getting everyone in a line and tells Damien, "ok I need wristbands for all the guys, and for Bella, Rachel, and Kim, can you do that for me man?"

Damien looks uncomfortable, "Sam, man, I dunno, I know most of them aint 21, Hell if any of them other than you are 21 I'll burn my crops, I can do the 3 chicks and you, Jared, and Paul, but I know for sure Jacob Black and his buddy are not even close to 21!"

Sam slips him a bill and says, "Look man I don't wanna get you in trouble and I swear you won't, you will not have a peep of trouble out of them, trust me for them to get even half buzzed they'd have to drink you out of booze. I take full responsibility for them. By the way Jake's buddy as you call him is my kid brother so you'd really be doing me a solid"

Damien still looks unconvinced, "I dunno Sam what if someone calls the cops?"

I speak up, "Sorry, just so you know I'm the daughter of the chief of Forks PD. He knows that the guys all drink and he trusts Sam to be responsible for them. Sam's telling the truth when he says you won't have any trouble with them. We just got engaged and we just want to have a fun night with our friends. Also I just wanna say you have the best shit I've ever smoked and my dad knows I do that too!"

He laughs and slaps Sam on the back, "Damn man! This chick is killer. If shit don't work out for you and Sammy here you give me a call girl, you're a down little chick."

He puts a bracelet on my wrist and one on Sam, I move to the side and Sam brings Angela and Shanna up and has Dami put a black X on their wrists, and then one by one the guys all get their bracelets and we make our way inside.

The club is dark and the music is thumping, Sam pulls me over to the coat check to check my coat. We find a table with everyone and Sam gets a drink, I order a lemon shot and slam it once it's delivered. We get up and Sam leads me to the dance floor.

We're dancing and he's behind me with his arms wrapped around my waist as he grinds on my ass and I just grind back on him as his hands roam all over my body. All of a sudden some asshole is in front of me and puts his hands on my hips. Sam pulls me behind him and gets up in the asshole's face, "Dude who the fuck do you think you are putting your hands on my girl?"

I'm about to pull Sam back, he just told his boy not 20 minutes ago that he wouldn't have problems from us when Jake grabs me and pulls me back to the table. I spin around and push him lightly, "what the fuck Jake? Sam's gunna beat that guys ass right after he tells the bouncer he won't have problems with us? That guy Dami's job is on the line he needs to reign it in!"

Jake shrugs, "Embry is going to grab him, we have to get out of here, right now!"

I look at him alarmed, "what? Why? What's wrong?"

It was then that I heard the one voice I never wanted to hear again, "Hello Love."

**A/N: Sorry ya'll I'm leaving it on a cliffy. Which I know is super mean of me but hopefully you won't hate me too much. I'm going to my MIL's for Christmas not too thrilled about that, expect an update late next week sometime, Friday or Saturday probably. Merry Christmas to those that celebrate it! Stay safe everyone!**


	27. marked

**A/N: As always Stephanie Meyer owns Twilight and all recognizable characters and situations contained therein. This is a rated M story, which means it has adult content and language. It does and will contain lemons, use of marijuana, and underage drinking so if you are under 18 or if any of the above mentioned offends you I guess you should look for something different. If any of you all have Twitter add and talk to me DeadGrlSprStr13. **

****Sam POV****

Jake grabbed Bella and took her off the dance floor as I grab the guy who dared put his hands on my girl by his neck; I'm lifting him off the floor and screaming in his face when Embry grabs me from behind breaking my hold he's dragging me off the floor when I hear a voice I had hoped never to hear again say, "Hello Love"

I freeze for a moment before going into protect mode running over I grab Bella and place her behind me. Cullen sneers at me, "Do you mind, Uley? I'm trying to talk to my Bella."

I scowl at him and reply, "Actually, _Cullen, _I do mind and she is NOT _your _Bella! Your family was told that you were not welcome in Forks. Your **father** agreed to the stipulation that you would not be anywhere NEAR Bella."

He actually smirks, "Well, Samuel, as you can see we are not in Forks and Carlisle is obviously not here. So again I'm trying to talk to _Bella!"_

At this point 2 of the other leeches come up behind him, the snotty blonde and the dude that looks like The Incredible Hulk on steroids, and they look pissed. Hulk grabs Dickward from behind and says, "Edward man, Bella dumped you, she's here with her boyfriend. Let's just go."

Bella picks this moment to break out of her stunned trance, "Actually, Sam is my fiancé, Emmett."

At her statement I see Edwards eyes go dark with rage he desperately tries to break free from the hold that The Hulk has on him but Blondie grabs on to him as well and they wrestle him back as he starts to shout, "How could you Bella? What has this mutt turned you into? Look at that outfit, you look like a common whore!"

At this Bella get's pissed, "_**Excuse me? **_I look like a _**what?**_ You have some fucking nerve Edward, how did you find us anyway? You know what it doesn't matter, this just proves how right I was when I dumped your pathetic virgin ass! If you have anything else you want to say let's all take this outside and away from the normal's"

The blonde laughs and smiles at Bella as she and The Hulk drag Edward to the back exit of the club. The guys give their keys to Paul and I tell him to stay with the girls and that we'll be back when we finish dealing with this and we follow the Cullen's out and into the alley. The alley behind the club extends the length of a couple of warehouse buildings on the same street. We go to the farthest point away from the club because honestly I don't think that this is going to go well for Edward.

The guys and I surround Bella protectively and turn to face the Cullen's. Bella speaks up, "Rose, Emmett, did you help him find me?"

The Hulk answers, "No Bella! Creepward here paid a waitress at that Italian restaurant you guys ate at one time to call him if you came in there again. When he got the call he came down here and followed your scent to this club, Rose and I came to stop him!"

Edward sneers at them, "Rose is just jealous that I've never given her the time of day. She never wanted Bella to be turned because she knows that Bella's beauty would far surpass her own!"

He turns to address Bella, "I love you Bella, I can give you everything! Money, eternal life, my eternal devotion, we can give ourselves to each other and you will be my perfect mate!"

Bella snorts derisively and I can't help but laugh as she looks at him with disgust and starts to yell at him, "umm newsflash Edward, I don't WANT you! I don't want money or an eternal unchanging life, I don't want your devotion at all! I definitely don't want to 'give myself' to you! For one, I've already given myself to Sam and after having him why would I ever want a century old virgin?

I am not perfect Edward! I never have been! You don't even know me, I spent most of our relationship hiding the real me! You know the Bella you created, I'm not her! I murdered her when I dumped your ass!"

Edward looks like he would be sick if leeches could get sick as he stammers out, "what do you mean you gave yourself to him? How could you let this dog touch you! How could you let him take your virtue?"

She actually gags before saying, "My virtue? Please Edward, are you fucking serious? This is 2010; it's not 1900 anymore! Sam is my fiancé and yes we have sex! We also drink and smoke the best pot on the Res and party with our friends! We're normal young people!

You are going to get this through your head or you are going to die tonight, I don't want you! I LOVE SAM! I'm going to marry him and live my life with him on the Res, I'm going to fuck him every night and I'm going to have babies with him! I'm going to raise them and love them and watch them grow and have babies of their own!"

Edward looks stunned but it quickly turns into disgust, "You're offensive Bella! I can't believe what you've turned into in the few short months we've been broken up; you're no better than a drug-addicted prostitute! What must your father think of you and this mutt?"

Bella smiles a predatory smile, "You want to know what my father thinks? I'll tell you what he thinks! He loves Sam, they go fishing together every other weekend, and we have family dinners together every Sunday! Charlie considers Sam as close as his own son, ultimately it wouldn't even matter, Edward. You know why? Because Charlie wouldn't give a fuck who I marry or who I choose to be with as long as it isn't YOU! Charlie hates you! He's ALWAYS hated you! You think that just because you pretend to be such a gentleman that it means he'd like you better than a normal person? Sorry to tell you but my dad was way too smart to fall for your act Edward!"

At this point Edward lunges at Bella only to be thrown into the wall as Embry phases and crashes into him before he can get to her. He gets up looking dazed and stuttering, "what? How? Wait, I can't hear any of you! Why can't I hear you?"

Blondie speaks up, "What do you mean you can't hear them Edward?"

Edward gets to his feet unsteadily as Embry growls at him in a defensive stance in front of Bella and the rest of us. He turns to his siblings and says, "I can't hear their thoughts Rose! That's why I didn't know that the mutt there was going to attack! Why can't I hear them? I hear you and Emmett, I've never been able to hear Bella, but I could always hear the Defiler and his band of merry mutts!"

At this Rosalie smacks her palm to her forehead and turns to Emmett, "Lets just let the wolves deal with him Emmett, he's never going to accept that Bella has moved on and doesn't want to be with him and is happy with her life now!"

She turns to address us, "Bella, I'm so sorry that Edward is a complete fucking asshole! I know you and I never got along but I was just so mad that you wanted to give your life to him. Sam, Carlisle knows that Edward's actions have forfeited his life; we hope that one day the rest of us can return to Forks. Congratulations on your engagement, the two of you will have beautiful babies."

I try to contemplate them coming back as Bella replies, "Rose I never wanted to give my life to Edward, I thought I loved him sure but it was never that serious. I never considered being with him for eternity, that was what he wanted, not me. As far as you all coming back to Forks, please don't! It's nothing against you all as people but you have no idea what you've done to these boys! It's not your fault but it's what you are!

They changed because of you all, 4 of them are still in high school! 3 of them are only 16 years old! They've had their normal lives stolen from them so that you guys could pretend to fit in, I'm not trying to offend you and I'm sorry if it's coming off that way but these boys are my family and none of them are ever going to leave the reservation, none of them are going to go to college.

Did you know that my Sam had a full scholarship to UW in Seattle? He phased the summer before he was supposed to start and had to give it up. Jared had to turn down a baseball scholarship and he was good enough that he probably could have gone on to play major league ball. The rest of them are still in high school, their lives plotted out for them before they even had a chance to plan them for themselves. If you came back there's no telling how many more young boys would have their lives taken from them.

I would hope that we could walk away friends Rose, Emmett you know that I always had fun with you and I care about all of you with the exception of the ones who would control my life, but I know that you can see that what has happened to these guys is a pretty raw deal. Please talk to Carlisle and ask him to call Sam and tell us what you decide. Also the two of you can feel free to keep in touch with me by e-mail, I'd like that."

Rose and Emmett both looked like they were stricken by Bella's words. I wouldn't blame them; my girl gave a hell of a speech. They finally got their wits back and replied, "Wow, Sam, we apologize to you and to the rest of your pack. I know that it doesn't change anything but we didn't know that we were the reason you changed. We thought you would have done even if we had never been here. I can assure you that once Carlisle finds out about this that we will not ever come back to Forks as long as the Quileute tribe remains in La Push."

I nod and the Hulk turns to Edward, "Edward man, please let Bella go, no harm no foul man we can _all_ still walk away from this. They haven't attacked yet, if you can let Bella go we can just leave and we'll all go back to Alaska."

Edward looks from Bella to his siblings and sighs, "Fine, I was fooling myself, I know that Bella doesn't belong with us. I've always known it, I was just too selfish to admit it."

He turns to Bella and continues, "Bella I'm so sorry, I'm sorry for every time I put your life in danger, I'm sorry that I pursued a relationship with you when I knew it was wrong. I'm sorry for the things I said here tonight. I'm sure that you and Sam will have a wonderful life. I promise Bella, you will never see me again. I will also have Carlisle put the word out in the Vampire world that Forks is off limits, he has that kind of clout, this way you and your family can live as normal lives as you possibly can."

I speak up then, "Look, Edward, this is your last free pass. I know that Bella cares for your family and that she would want me to give you this pass for them. Don't make her or us regret her kindness. If you ever come near her again I give you my word, I WILL rip your head off and burn your ass. I also have a theory as to why you can't hear us anymore if you'd like to hear it."

Edward looks skeptical but nods for me to continue, "You've never been able to read Bella's mind right?"

He nods and I go on, "Well as wolves part of why we imprint is to find the woman who genetically will give us the greatest chance to pass on the gene and also to have the best genes pass on to the next generation so that they will be better equipped to the dangers of your kind. I would guess that when Bella and I imprinted, or maybe when we became intimate we wouldn't know if it happened before or after, but whatever it is that keeps you from reading Bella's mind has been somehow gifted to me and through the pack mind passed to my brothers as well, giving us protection from your mental gifts."

Edward looks angry for a moment before visibly deflating, "Yes I guess that would make sense, at least I won't torture myself with the why and how of why I can't hear you all. I apologize for ruining your evening; we will leave now. Carlisle will call you sometime this week to discuss everything Sam."

Bella speaks up, "You didn't ruin anything Edward, this is just a bump in our night, we're going to all go back to the club and meet up with Paul and the girls and we're going to have fun!"

In the blink of an eye he and the other two are gone, hopefully for good. I really hope that we don't regret letting him live.

The other guys all relax a little and we head back towards the club, I had an extra set of clothes in the trunk of my car and I attached the keys to Em's leg so he could go to the parking lot and get them, silently thanking God that I had parked in bumblefuck nowhere.

We get back to the girls and they're all sitting at a table in the corner and looking concerned. Kim jumps out of her seat when she sees us. She jumps on Bella hugging her tight screaming, "Oh my God, we were worried out of our minds about you guys!"

We tell them that everything is fine, Cullen just used up his one free pass and they had left. Bella goes to the bar and comes back with 2 Malibu and pineapple's and hands one to Kim as she says, "Here girl settle your nerves out, we're gonna have a good night!"

I sit in one of the chairs and pull Bella into my lap as the boys all go to get drinks, they bring me back a triple jack and coke and I just chill holding Bella tightly around her waist as she alternately kisses my neck and sips her drink.

****Bella POV****

I snuggle into Sam's lap and start downing my Malibu and pineapple, this is the fucking happiest tasting drink ever, and it makes me want to be at a beach somewhere! The club is packed and I just want to dance with my man and forget about the bullshit confrontation tonight, I'm not going to let Fuckward ruin this night for us!

Rosalie's reaction had surprised me, I always thought she hated me, turns out she just didn't want me to give up my whole life for Edward. I finish my drink and turn to Sam, "Baby do you wanna dance with me?"

He smiles at me and nods and I get up and take his hand and pull him back to the dance floor, the song playing is heavy with a strong bass-line and Sam pulls me to his chest as I wrap my arms around his neck. We're grinding against one another and his hands are down on my ass squeezing firmly before moving back up to my hips. He actually lifts me up and kisses me as I wrap my legs around his waist as he holds me close sucking on my bottom lip.

Someone jostles him from behind and we lurch into another couple who laugh and move away. We break apart and he sets me back down on the floor and we go back to dancing together

About 3 hours later Rach, Kim, and I are feeling nicely tipsy and the guys decide it's time to call it a night, Shanna and Ang are making out heavily with Jake and Em and I decide that they're going to ride home with me and Sam so that I can talk to them.

Sam calls for attention as we all sit at a table with our last drinks of the night, it's last call and almost time for us to go. I settle on Sam's lap as he says, "I want to thank you guys for coming out tonight to celebrate our engagement with us, it means so much to us! You all are pretty much the best family we could ask for and I want you to know how much we appreciate it."

Jared speaks up, "It's no problem Sam, you know that we're your brothers. We love both you and Bella and we wish you guys the absolute best!"

Everyone lifts their glasses up and toasts to us and we all down our drinks and head over to coat check to get our coats and purses before heading back to the cars.

We get back to La Push about an hour later, Sam dropped off Shanna and Ang at Shanna's parents and we watched till they made it in the door before heading back to our place.

Once inside I took in the Christmas lights strung up around the living room in awe, "Wow, Sam, the lights look great!"

He chuckles and says, "Go look in the bedroom."

I go in and am just floored, the ceiling looks like a night sky, it's gorgeous. Sam comes in behind me and wraps his arms around my waist, "So what do you think?"

I lean into him and say, "it looks fantastic, Baby, but right now I don't want to look at it."

I turn to face him and wrap my arms around him as I hitch myself up his body wrapping my legs around his waist and kissing him, his tongue snakes into my mouth caressing mine before he pulls back a little sucking my bottom lip into his mouth and nibbling it gently.

He moves down my neck and sucks at a spot towards the back, I know he's leaving a hickey but I could care less, he bites it gently before pulling away and saying, "that's where I'm going to mark you when the time comes baby girl"

I moan a little in response knowing that when he does it'll hurt but that it will probably feel so fucking good too, Sam walks us over to the bed kicking his shoes off as I unbutton his shirt. He grabs the neck of my dress with one hand and rips it off my body leaving me in my bra and panties. He reaches behind me and unclasps my bra before pulling it off and attaching his mouth to my nipple.

I moan as he cups my ass while sucking and biting at my tit.

****Sam POV****

B unwraps her legs from my waist and I set her back on her feet. She unbuttons my shirt sliding it off my shoulders as she kisses her way to my belt, she fumbles with it for a second before getting it undone and unbuttoning my jeans to let them fall to the floor.

I'm not wearing boxers and my hard dick is right in her face. She looks up in my eyes and fucking smirks before leaning in and wrapping her soft pink lips around my throbbing cock head. I gasp as she sucks on it softly while running her tongue in slow circles over and around it. Holy fucking shit this feels good. She does this for a few minutes before taking as much as she can into her mouth sucking back and forth while streaking her tongue in little circles around my shaft. I grab her hair groaning, "Oh fuck, Bella. That feels so fucking good baby."

She does her thing for what feels like an eternity, getting me so close to the edge but not letting me cum. Finally I push her away because if she doesn't stop I'm going to cum down her throat and I want to be inside her.

I pick her up and lay her on the bed, kissing her and biting her lower lip before making my way to her neck sucking hard on the place I told her I would mark earlier. It takes every ounce of my self-control not to flip her over slam into her and mark her. I make my way down to her tits sucking at her hard nipple and kissing my way down her stomach stopping when I reach her panties.

I spread her legs and rub one finger lightly up and down her slit through her panties, as I press a little firmer I can feel the dampness of her panties. She moans and bucks her hips trying to push herself against my hand. I grab the strings holding them together at her hips and look up at her as I slide them down her hips and pull them off her leg and throw them behind me.

I place light kisses at the juncture of her thighs before blowing on her pussy, she jumps and bucks her hips. I run my tongue the length of her slit not quite dipping between her folds and she moans and I feel her hands in my hair. She's pushing against the back of my head trying to get more pressure and I give in using my tongue to separate her folds and rubbing it soft and slowly against her clit.

She is so wet and I slip a finger in her pussy as I lick circles around her clit. I pump my finger in and out and wrap my lips around her nub sucking it softly as she moans loudly and bucks her hips against my hand. I work a second finger into her and lick her clit softly flicking my tongue over it as she cries out. I pump my fingers faster into her listening to her moan as she thrashes against the bed finally screaming my name as she cums.

I flip her over and she gets her knees under her as I guide my dick to her entrance and nudge the head inside. She moans and starts moving her hips and working herself back until I'm all the way inside, I let go of her hips and just stand still and let her move, she's bucking her hips and moving slowly back and forth taking me in and out. The way she's moving I can feel every inch as it slides slowly in and then back out.

Something snaps and I lose it, I grab her hips and slam inside her, she yells out in mixed pleasure with a little bit of pain and I piston my hips and fuck her fast and hard, she's crying out with pleasure and I can feel her orgasm around my cock. I fuck her harder and deeper as she cries out my name, screaming at me "please don't stop"

I look up and her hair is over her shoulder and I can clearly see the hickey I gave her in the spot I picked to mark her I grab her hair and drag her up until I can reach her neck I kiss it and open my mouth sucking the skin into my mouth she's moaning as I keep thrusting in and out while sucking her neck. I graze her neck with my teeth not breaking skin just holding her skin between my teeth. She gasps and moans as I feel her cumming again and she screams out, "fuck Sam, baby do it, fucking do it please just go ahead."

I take her at her word and I can't hold myself back any longer, I pull all the way out of her holding my dick at the entrance of her pussy and plunge it all the way back in as I sink my teeth into her neck and explode inside of her. She screams and her hips are jerking around and her pussy is clamped around my dick so tight it fucking hurts. I unclench my jaw and run my tongue over the huge bite mark on Bella's neck.

We collapse on the bed and I wrap her up in my arms and the blanket that I throw over us, she snuggles closer back to me smiling up at me saying, "I love you Sam, so fucking much baby. You know Charlie's going to kill you though, right?"

I feel my eyes go wide and I say, "I love you too B, and lucky for you I'm damn near indestructible. I know he's going to be pissed but I'm not sorry for doing it."

I look down at her and see that she's passed out, and I laugh a little to myself before following her out.

**A/N: ok so there it is, I really really wanted to have the pack rip Edward apart but it didn't want to write that way. They won't be physically back in this story though they may be mentioned here and there. I feel like this lemon is good I hope it is, I wasn't expecting the marking but I feel good about how it played out. Hope to get another chapter up soon. Don't forget to leave some love.**


	28. Oh, Shit!

**A/N: Stephanie Meyer owns Twilight and all recognizable characters and situations contained therein. Thank you guys so much for the response to the last chapter! You guys rock! **

****Sam POV The next morning****

I heard a click that sounded strangely like the slide on a police issue Glock 9mm being pulled back and bolted upright in bed to find Charlie Swan in my bedroom with his gun aimed at me and Bella nowhere to be found. I put my hands up and stammered out, "umm Charlie? You wouldn't shoot a naked unarmed man would you?"

His lip curled back and I thought to myself, '_oh shit, he's really going to shoot me!' _Charlie took aim at my shoulder as I tried to reason with him, "Charlie, Dad, please don't do this! I'm sorry that you're upset but I promise you that I didn't do anything without Bella's go ahead! I know you're pissed and I don't blame you and I'm sorry Dad I couldn't help it!"

He pulls the trigger and the only thing that happens is an audible click as Charlie bursts into hysterical laughter and I feel like my heart is going to explode in my chest it's hammering so hard. I scowl at him, "you think that's funny old man! I'm having a heart attack here! Do you want to leave your daughter a widow with a huge bite mark on her neck? You know she'd never be able to make you a grandpa if you did that now!"

He stops laughing spins the gun around in his hand and fucking pistol-whips me in the back of the head, "Fuck! God damn it Charlie!"

He snickers before yelling in my face, "That's for marking my daughter before you married her and for making her do the 3 house walk of shame wearing a pair of your sweatpants and a hot pink wife beater!"

I looked at him confused, "why would she leave? Is she pissed Charlie?"

I was worried now, Bella never left the next morning, not even the first time she spent the night! Charlie smirked before replying, "No, she ain't pissed, but I am. Apparently you ripped that pretty dress she was wearing last night to shreds and she hadn't brought any clothes over here before you guys headed out so she had nothing to wear, she'll be back to make breakfast for the two of us in about 15 minutes. Get your ass up and covered before I change my mind about firing at you with the safety on."

He turned around and walked out to the living room I heard him put on ESPN and tried to get my breath back. My head ached where he had hit me, the old man must've put quite a bit of force behind it, I hadn't had a headache since before I phased. I got up and headed in to take a shower. The only thing that really truly sucks about the wolf is the fact that hot water never feels hot, even with the dial all the way on the hot side it's still lukewarm, and when I shower with B it's practically cold to me.

I finish up quick and throw on a pair of baggy jeans and a black wife beater and going to the kitchen where my hot as fuck fiancé was standing at the stove making blueberry pancakes, eggs, bacon, sausage, and there were blueberry muffins baking in the oven. I inhaled greedily before saying, "fuck that smells good B! How did I ever get so lucky?"

She smiles and replies, "I guess fate likes you baby! Billy, Jake, and Embry are coming over for breakfast that's why there's so much."

I nod, "I have a lot of work to do today so I'm going to be heading out after breakfast, for some reason a bunch of people on the south side of the res are all having plumbing problems, it's probably a tree in their septic line or something but it's not pretty and of course it has to be handled before Christmas day, I'll probably be down that way till 4:30 at the earliest. We're doing the Christmas eve dinner just us and Charlie, keeping it low key right?"

She nods agreement, "yeah it's our first holiday being engaged so I want it to just be me you and Dad. Christmas day however is a whole other ballgame, it's us, the rest of the pack, all the imprints, Dad, Billy, and Kay Call."

Billy Jake and Embry showed up about 20 minutes later just as Bella was pulling the huge blueberry muffins out of the oven. B served everyone before grabbing a plate for herself and settling herself on my lap to eat. Billy congratulated us and Bella showed him her ring, we ate in companionable silence until Bella pulled her hair back in a ponytail so that her hair wouldn't get syrup from her pancakes in it.

That's when all hell broke loose; Jake, Embry, and Billy all shouted, "WHAT THE FUCK?"

Billy looked like he wanted to rip my head off and mount it on his wall and Charlie's hand twitched to his gun again, I winced at the angry looking bite mark, it had to have hurt like hell but I don't remember her crying. Jake took the ball and ran with it, "What the fuck Sam? You fucking marked her before you fucking married her? What the fuck is your problem? Bella deserved better than that!"

Bella cut in, "I asked him to do it Jake."

Embry cut her off, "When? Last night? You were fucking drunk Bella! Did you guys talk about it beforehand or was it something that just happened while he was fuckin the shit out of you? Because if it was the latter than Sam took advantage of you and I'm really fucking pissed that my brother would do that! I thought you were better than that Sam."

Charlie was scowling at me but he sounded calm as he said, "Em, Jake, I appreciate you guys going to bat for Bells but she's a big girl and if she isn't upset about the way this happened than none of us have a right to be mad at Sam. Besides, I woke him up with my Glock 9 in his face this morning, so much for big bad Alpha he didn't even hear me come in and didn't even wake up till I pulled the slide back."

The guys all burst into hysterical laughter at that but Billy's face was still purple with rage. He spoke after a few minutes in a deadly calm voice, "Sam, Bella deserved better than to be marked the way you did it. I don't care if she begged for it! Drunk and in the middle of sex with no prior discussion"

Billy pauses and makes a disgusted noise before continuing on, "you should have known better, I know the wolf is strong and he needs to be dominant sometimes, but she deserved for it to be on your wedding night and for it to be special. I'm extremely disappointed in your actions."

He would have said more but Bella cut him off, "Now wait just a damn minute, Billy I love you, you're a second father to me but you have a lot of nerve telling us how we should do things in our life! I wanted to be marked by Sam, and it was beautiful and special to us! We just got engaged and it was fucking perfect! I love you old man but if you're going to come into my home and berate my fiancé, who by the way according to your tribal customs is now my fucking husband, you can do all of us a favor and get the fuck out! I'm sorry and I love you just like I love my own Dad but I'm a big girl now and I can make the decisions that affect my life. Sam didn't force me; he has never EVER pushed me into anything! I went into it with my eyes wide open!"

Damn I wasn't expecting that, apparently no one else was either as they all sat in stunned open-mouthed silence.

Billy finally found his voice, "I'm sorry, Sam. Bella you're right, you're a big girl now. I have always considered you a daughter and after Rach and Bex ran off the way they did I missed the hell out of them, and then you came home and I had a daughter again, Rach is back now but you are still a daughter of my heart Bella, I just want what is best for you but if Charlie isn't upset I guess I have no right to be either."

Bella ran over and hugged him tight, "Billy I know you want what is best for me and I truly appreciate it, I love you ya know."

Charlie looks over at Billy and nods, "Don't think I'm not pissed old man, it's not lost on me that in the eyes of the tribe my baby girl is a wife and I didn't get to give her away or anything. I know I'll get to and I guess that's all that matters but it still pisses me right the fuck off. However I can't look at it that I lost my baby girl, I gained a son, and he's a fine man who I know I can trust to do right by my girl."

I was pretty choked up by what Charlie said so once B was done eating I gave her a kiss and headed out the door waving to everyone as I left.

****Bella POV Six Weeks Later****

I haven't been feeling well for about a week, I had some sort of stomach bug and a fever, but I really didn't want to go to the clinic, Sam was worrying himself sick about me and I kept telling him I was fine, I just had the flu. I had missed the last 3 days of school it was so bad and finally Dad put his foot down, "Bella Marie you need to go to the fucking doctor! Don't make me drag you down there."

I sigh, "Ok Dad, I'll call the clinic in the morning."

He cuts me off, "Don't worry about it you have an appointment tomorrow at 10. I had Sue Clearwater put you in."

I sigh, "fine, thank you."

I was going to say more but an overwhelming wave of nausea crashed over me and I ran down the hall to the bathroom. I hear the front door open and a moment later Sam is in the bathroom with me holding my hair back. I shiver as his hand brushes over my mark.

Sam rubs soothing circles on my back as I empty my guts into the toilet. I notice him smelling me and give him a questioning glance. He notices and says, "You smell funny."

I give him a look to say are you fucking kidding before saying between heaves, "I'm sure I smell horrible between the puking and not having showered today."

Sam smirks at me before he says, "no I meant besides that. I don't know but your regular scent has changed, it's slightly sweeter but that's not it, I can't put my finger on it."

I look at him confused and finally I have nothing left to bring up and I sit against the tub to catch my breath when it hits me. "Sam, what's today's date?"

He considers for a second before answering, "Feb 4th, why?"

I feel the color drain out of my face, "No, it's not fucking possible."

Sam looks confused and worried, "what's not possible? What's wrong B?"

I tried to think, had I missed a pill? How did I not notice that I hadn't gotten my period during the placebo pills? Could the mark have altered my body in some way as to make my pills ineffective? I could see Sam freaking out and I cleared my throat sharply, "I think I might be pregnant, Sam."

I watch the color drain out of Sam's face and all of a sudden he slumps against the tub as he passes out.

****Sam POV****

"Sam? Baby, wake up! Sam, honey? Come on baby you have to wake up now!"

I hear Bella talking to me and I open my eyes with a jolt to find myself looking up at her from the floor of her bathroom, it takes me a second but I remember what happened to make me pass out, "Did you say you think you might be pregnant? I thought you were on the pill like Kim? How the fuck could you be pregnant? Did you skip pills?"

As soon as the words are out of my mouth I realize just how bad I just made things, Bella is looking at me her face contorted in a mix of hurt and rage and she starts screaming, "Is that what you fucking think of me? You think that I'd skip pills on purpose to trap you with a kid? Silly me, I thought I already had you, what the fuck would I need to trap you for? You know what Sam, fuck you! Get the fuck out of my house and you better hope that this is a false alarm because if it's not when my dad finds out about it and what you just said to me he will shoot you and I will fucking smile when he does it!"

She takes the ring off her finger and throws it in my face before running into her bedroom and locking the door.

FUCK! I am so fucked, I sit there stunned for a minute holding her ring before marching down the hall and pounding on her door, "ISABELLA SWAN YOU OPEN THIS DOOR RIGHT THE FUCK NOW!"

I'm about to break it in when I hear Charlie cock the slide on his glock. I turn to look at him as I say, "Really? This is the 2nd time in less than 2 months that you've pulled that gun on me Dad."

I see the murderous look on his face and thank God that I really am nearly indestructible; with the exception of a straight shot to the face I would heal up relatively quick if he actually decides to unload on me. Charlie looks as pissed as I've ever seen him as he says in a deadly calm voice, "Son, I heard everything that was said in that bathroom and I know that my daughter told you to leave this house. Now you can either go out the easy way on your own two feet, or you can go out the hard way with a couple of bullets in you.

That's your call, Son, and you got about 10 seconds to make it. You ever imply that my daughter got herself knocked up on purpose to trap you again and I swear to god no one will even miss you when I kill you and bury you in an undisclosed location."

I broke in, "I didn't mean it that way Charlie, I swear! I just was in shock, it's pretty shocking when a girl who you know is on the pill comes to you and tells you she thinks she's pregnant! I know I handled it badly and I'm sorry!"

I stop and turn to Bella's door and shout through it, "I'm sorry, Bella! Please come out and talk to me! Let's just all sit down and talk about this!"

Charlie sighs with exasperation and holsters his gun as Bella opens her door and says, "Fine, lets go in the kitchen then."

The three of us go out to the kitchen and sit at the table. Charlie speaks first, "Bella are you sure?"

Bella shakes her head, "I'm not sure of anything Dad, but I didn't get a period when I hit the placebo pills last month, I didn't even notice it but it was just a light staining, not even enough for a panty liner. That coupled with the nausea suggests I might be."

She turns to look at me and continues, "To answer your questions Sam, yes I am on the pill like Kim, I don't know how I could be pregnant because NO I didn't skip pills, I have the empty packs to prove it if you don't believe me, I took them every single day at the same exact time just like Kim told me to. Honestly though I think it has to do with the fact that I'm marked. This whole week we've thought I was sick because I've been vomiting and feverish.

What if I'm not feverish though? What if my temperature is just hotter because of the mark? Does anyone know if the mark alters our body chemistry any? Maybe it made the pills ineffective?"

I sigh, "Shit, I never even thought about that! Normally the mark would have been delivered on our wedding night but we jumped the gun. This is all my fault! If I had been able to control myself I wouldn't have put you in this situation! I'm so sorry B, please know that I do not believe that you would do something so deceitful as to get pregnant on the sly. I know you aren't like that I was just so shocked that I blurted out the first crazy thoughts that popped in my head! I'm so sorry baby!"

She takes a deep breath before answering, "I know you didn't mean it Sam. I forgive you baby. I'd like it if you came to the clinic with me tomorrow, Sue put me in for 10."

I nod at her, "definitely Bella, we're in this together Baby, we'll be fine! If you're pregnant it's not a bad thing, we're getting married this summer anyway if you would rather do it sooner and do the courthouse thing and save the actual wedding for another time or just do something on the beach here with a minister that's fine. It's whatever you want baby and just think if you are pregnant and I think you are, it would explain why your scent is off, but we're gunna have a baby! That's awesome news!"

Charlie breaks in, "it's really not a bad thing Bella, you and Sam, you know that you're it for each other. You're settled already, Sam has a thriving business, when the baby is a few years old you can start that catering business and we all know that'll be a huge success, you guys will be fine! If you want to drop out I won't hold it against you Bella, you can always take the GED test too."

Bella considers for a bit before saying, "well let's not get ahead of ourselves. Let's wait to find out what the doctor says tomorrow. Thanks Dad for being so supportive and not shooting my baby daddy"

We all laugh at the joke before turning serious again and I say, "Bella's right, let's just wait to find out what the doctor says and deal with it then. I do thank you for not shooting me though Dad. It means a lot that you'll support us through this."

Charlie gives a sarcastic laugh as he says, "oh it's not me you have to worry about, my guess is if this turns out to be what it is that when Bella tells Renee she'll be on the first plane out here to kick your ass Sam"

Bella's face pales again and she says, "uh Dad, there are some things I need to tell you."

**A/N: Sorry to end it there this chapter is just getting long. Will probably have the next chap up soon enough. Leave me some love!**


	29. Confirmation

**A/N: Stephanie Meyer owns Twilight and all recognizable characters and situations contained therein. **

****Bella POV picks up where last chap left off****

"Uh Dad, there are some things I need to tell you… Renee didn't send me to you because she wanted to travel with Phil. She sent me here because she felt that I was an uncontrollable teen and she was afraid that Phil would leave her if I stayed."

I looked up after my statement and Dad was looking very confused, "What do you mean Bells? You've never been in any trouble!"

I frowned a little, "well not here no, I haven't been. Dad back in Phoenix I had gotten involved with a crowd of older boys, they had all graduated the summer I moved here. We all drank and smoked pot together but Tommy, he was kind of the leader and he was all messed up, he was addicted to pills and X and was well on his way to being an alcoholic.

So maybe a week and a half before I moved here Tommy's parents were away and he had a party, we all brought our stash and some bottles and Tommy had snagged the key to his parents liquor cabinet. We didn't realize he was doing pills that night too, he had taken like 3 hits of X and he drank a shit load of whiskey and he passed out in the middle of the floor. He was shaking a little and I was trying to wake him up, I tried to get him to drink some water but he was too far out, I thought he was going to die, Dad.

When I couldn't wake him up after 2 minutes I called 911 and the paramedics came and we took him to the hospital. Most of the guys bailed but I stayed with Tommy. His parents took the first flight they could get and they were back by morning, their house was trashed! They found all the drugs in the living room and their liquor cabinet was wide open and empty.

They knew who Tommy hung with and I was the only girl in their group so when they found out it was a girl who came in with Tommy they knew it was me. They leveraged that to get him to tell them who all was there and they called all of our parents.

Renee was so pissed, I had never seen her that angry. She wasn't angry that I could have hurt myself or been arrested or anything like that, she really didn't care what I did. She did however care about what Phil would think about having to be responsible for what she termed 'an out of control teenager who doesn't give a damn about anyone but herself'

She honestly never gave a shit what I did as long as I stayed out of her face and didn't interfere in her and Phil's relationship. I guess after that night it got too real for her. She and Phil talked about it and they decided that they would send me out to you under the guise of her wanting to travel with him and that they would just 'forget' to tell you about what had happened because they thought you'd refuse to take me.

It honestly was the best thing Renee ever did for me and she wasn't even doing it for me. Coming out here to you was the best thing that could have happened to me Dad. You've been more of a parent in the last year and a half than Renee has been my entire life! I never told you this before because I was afraid that you'd want to send me back to her. I'm telling you now because it'll probably come out when I tell her about the baby, she'll blame you for letting me hang out with a pack of boys and blah blah blah. I'm sorry that I never told you before, I hope you aren't mad"

Dad's face was starting to get red, I was just thankful it hadn't gone purple vein throbbing rage face. He cleared his throat and said, "Bella, quite frankly your mother is a fucking moron! You were out of control? Seems to me you were the only one who was in control! You saved that kids life baby girl, alcohol and ecstasy is a deadly combination!

Bella your mother has always been selfish, it was selfish of her to leave on a whim, it was selfish of her to take you with her because she needed someone to love her and she didn't care who it was! I thought at first that when she got a boyfriend she would have sent you right back, I would have fought harder to keep you if I had thought otherwise, but I figured it would take her a couple of months to land a man and then she'd send you back."

I broke in, "She couldn't do that Dad, she needed someone to make sure the bills got paid on time and that she didn't spend all her money on stupid crap! I started balancing her checkbook when I was 11. I started forging her signature on utility and rent checks when I was 12. At 13 I started babysitting to put food in the apartment."

Dad's face was now purple and he stood up and walked outside, I turned to Sam, "I think I broke him, Sam."

Sam wrapped his arms around me and kissed the top of my head, "nah baby girl he's fine he just had to blow off some steam, he's not mad at you, he's mad at Renee and at himself."

I look at him confused, "why would he be mad at himself? He didn't do anything!"

Sam shrugs, "that's the point, he probably feels like he should have fought harder, should have demanded that Renee send you back, shouldn't have let her take you in the first place."

I sigh, "she didn't give him a chance to argue, she didn't ask, she just told him 'I'm leaving and taking Bella with me' from the time she told him till we walked out the door wasn't even an hour. Dad didn't believe in fighting in front of me. I really hope I'll be a good mom, Sam. What if I'm like Renee?"

He scoffs and holds me close, "Don't be stupid, B. You're going to be the best mom. Hell you're already the best pack mom! Even Kim bows to your domesticity. I just hope I'm going to be a good dad, I mean even if I just sit on the couch with my thumb up my ass I'll be one up on my old man because at least I'll be there but I have no idea how to be a dad, I have had some excellent male role models but I never lived with them I don't know what to do on a day to day basis. What if the kid hates me?"

I laugh and kiss his neck, "you'll be fine Sam! The kid will love you and you'll love the kid, I mean come on you're already pack dad so you've got the teenage years down pat already! We'll be fine, neither of us had positive same gender role models growing up but I think we'll be fine."

I break off as dad comes back in from the kitchen, "it's getting late Bells I'm going to head to bed. Sam if you want to stay here tonight to go to the doctor with her tomorrow you can go ahead."

Sam nods, "thanks Charlie, I probably will go ahead and do that, I'll take the couch? Or did you guys set up a guest room?'

Charlie actually laughs as he says, "Don't be stupid Sam, I think under the circumstances that I know that you and my daughter are intimate, you can share her room, hell by tribal rights you're already married I can't be too pissed about it, just don't ever hurt her or you will be a dead man. Love you Bells, goodnight sweetheart."

I went to give dad a big hug goodnight; he hugged me tight and went down the hall to his room.

****Sam POV next morning****

I wake up in Bella's bed with her wrapped up in my arms and I'm on the verge of freaking out, I'm going to be a father. I don't even need to see the doctor, in the silence of the morning I can hear a very fast low humming almost, it sounds like a hummingbird. I gently roll Bella away from me pulling her tank top up I press my ear against her lower abdomen and I can hear it much clearer and I know for certain that it's a heartbeat, our child's heartbeat.

****Bella POV****

I wake up slowly to the feel of something hot on my stomach; I open my eyes groggily and see Sam with his ear pressed against my abdomen. I tilt my head in confusion looking at him and trying to figure out what he's doing. I see tears in his eyes and now I'm getting freaked out, I finally give in and ask, "Sam, honey? What are you doing?"

He looks up at me eyes shining and says, "I can hear the heartbeat."

I look at him in shock, "Are you serious?"

He smiles and nods before sitting up and putting a hand over my abdomen, rubbing light circles on it as he says, "I love you Bella, thank you so much for giving me a child. I know that we didn't plan this and this isn't the best time but I already love our baby so much!"

I hug him for a minute before my stomach heaves and I push away from him and run to the bathroom. Sam is right behind me to hold my hair back. He really is too fucking good to me. I know that what he and dad were saying last night is right, we are settled, it doesn't matter that I'm not out of high school yet it's not like I was going to be able to leave Sam and go to college although he was still adamant that I would have the choice if I wanted to go.

I had made a decision, we were obviously going to keep our baby, but I wasn't going to drop out of school with only 4 months left.

We got up and dressed and ready to go, I made breakfast and we ate before heading out the door. We got to the clinic and walked into the waiting room, Sam sat down and I gave my name to the receptionist who rolled her eyes and gave me an attitude as she told me to sit and wait for my name to be called. I rolled my eyes back at her and went to sit next to Sam.

10 minutes later a nurse called my name and Sam got up to follow me in, the nurse looked surprised but didn't say anything as she led us to an exam room. She asked me what the reason for my visit was and said that my father had me in for a sick visit. I answered politely, "Actually I think I might be pregnant."

She looked me up and down and then looked at Sam and said, "Oh, I'm going to need a urine sample then."

She handed me a cup and I nodded and went to do what she had asked. I handed the cup to the nurse when I was finished and went back into the room where Sam was waiting with Sue Clearwater, he did not look happy. I smiled politely, "Hello, Sue. I didn't know that I would be seeing you, I didn't know that you were a doctor."

She smiles back but it doesn't quite reach her eyes as she says, "I'm not, I'm a Physicians Assistant, I can do pretty much everything a medical doctor can do though."

The nurse came in then with the little plastic pregnancy test that they use in the doctor's office and left it on the counter behind Sue. She turned and looked at the test before turning back and confirming what we already knew, "Congratulations Bella, you are pregnant."

She went through the usual questions but because I had been on birth control she told me she would have to do an ultrasound to determine just how far along I was. I asked, "do I have to go to another facility or make another appointment?"

She consulted a calendar quickly before answering, "No I actually have a space right now if you have the time."

I confirmed that I did and looked at Sam who nodded and answered, "We have time."

She brought us into another room and had me lay down on the examining table, "I'm going to try to do it abdominally but if you're not very far along I may need to use the wand to do a trans vaginal, it depends on if your uterus is co-operative or not."

I nod and she takes the device squirts some gel on it and applies it to my lower abdomen, apparently my uterus has decided to be co-operative as I see a small blob on the screen, it looks like a bean yet with a definite fetal shape. She nods as if confirming something and takes a few measurements on the screen as she says, "See that flicker? That's your baby's heartbeat. You're about 9 weeks along, I'd say you conceived around December 24th pregnancy math is a funny thing, the first 3 weeks are preconception which is how a 9 month pregnancy is 40 weeks."

I nod sort of understanding what she's saying, Sam is staring at the screen with a look of awe. Sue asks if we'd like a picture and I ask her for 5 copies, one for his house, my house, Charlie, Billy, and one for Renee if she wants it.

She makes an appointment for me to come back in one month and tells me that my Estimated Delivery Date is September 14th.

We leave the doctors office in a daze with my appointment card and the ultrasound pictures in hand. I hand one to Sam and he puts it in the visor of his truck next to the picture he has of him and me. I just can't believe it.

We get back to Sam's and I see that over at my house the squad car is in the driveway. Sam comes around and helps me out of the cab of the truck setting me down reluctantly on my feet as he says, "Let's go see your dad babe. Are you okay to walk? If you're tired I'll carry you."

I roll my eyes, this is going to be a long 7 months if Sam is going to be in hovering overprotective wolf mode the whole time, I walk into my house and Dad is sitting at the table. He takes in how Sam is shadowing my every move and moving things away from me, and smiles as he says, "So I guess it's good news huh?"

I smile back and say, "You're going to be a grandpa, Dad!"

I hand him the ultrasound picture and he looks like I could knock him over with a feather, his eyes tear up before he hands the photo back and I look at him confused, "You don't want it? I had Sue print up a bunch so that you could have one."

He looks stunned and grabs it back, "Of course I want it Bella, I just didn't realize you had it printed for me. I can't believe it, just wait till I tell Billy! Have you decided what you're going to do about school Bella?"

I grab a bottle of water from the fridge and open it up before sitting at the table, "I'm staying, I'm not due till the middle of September and Sue said that a first pregnancy typically doesn't really show until the sixth month so I should be good and if I start to show early let them make something of it, I really don't care, I have the pack and Shanna at school to have my back if anyone tries to start with me."

Dad looks deadly as he says, "You tell me if anyone says anything to you Bella. Especially if it's an adult! I want to know."

I nod, "Dad, I was thinking, I know we talked about this and I know what your feelings were but things are different now."

He sighs as he says, "You can move in with Sam Bella, I'm not home enough to look after you the way you'll need to be looked after. I'm right down the street though, if you ever need some space from the man."

Sam looks thrilled as he jumps up grabs Charlie out of his chair and squeezes him tight and says, "I'll take really good care of her Dad, promise she won't be lifting a finger on my watch and a wolf will always be with her for her protection."

He looks a little uncomfortable as he turns to me, "You might want to have a talk with the girls Bella, I'll be having one with the guys about the fact that the Marking seems to make birth control a moot point."

I nod, "oh yeah, that's a good idea, the rest of them with the exception of Jared, Paul, Kim, and Rachel are way too young for that. You may want to lay down the law that no imprint can be marked before the age of 18 to alleviate that fear for them, we'll talk about it and see how they feel. I only hope that Shanna and Ang will still be allowed to hang out with me, I can't see either of their parents being thrilled that their daughter is friends with a pregnant girl who's still in high school."

Dad scoffed, "If they give you a problem you come tell me Bella, I mean it, I won't have anyone making you feel bad or putting stress on you. Stress is extremely bad for pregnant women, if at any point you feel like school is becoming too stressful for you I expect you to do the right thing by yourself and your child and drop out, you can always take the GED. Circumstances change and you know that I would not condone that in any other circumstance."

I nod and go over to hug my dad, "I know Dad, I promise if it gets to be too much I will drop and take the GED after the baby is born."

We spend the rest of the day going over preparations to get me moved in with Sam. Dad has night shifts this whole week and it's decided that I'll move in with Sam immediately packing a bag of clothes for the week and that in his free time Sam will get Embry to help him pack up the rest of my things and bring them over.

**A/N: I hope you guys like this, I'm trying to be as accurate as I can be about the progression of a pregnancy so if I'm wrong on something let me know. I'm probably going to update slightly less frequently and give some time to "How Do We Take Our Path to Happiness" Don't worry that this will be abandoned because I promise I won't stop writing it until I can give it a definite ending. Leave me some love!**


	30. Announcements

**A/N: Stephanie Meyer owns Twilight and all recognizable characters and situations contained therein. Just want to thank you all for the response to the last chapter it was awesome! I started a new story, it's a Bella/Emmett called Opposites Attract(it's AH/AU) and it has taken over my muse, but don't worry I'm not going to abandon GBTM or HDWTOPtH. I know most of you wolfpack girls probably don't like Bella paired with a Cullen but check it out, I have high hopes for it.**

****Bella POV a few days later****

I woke up with a jolt and ran to the bathroom with Sam following on my heels. I heaved the remains of last night's dinner into the toilet as Sam swept my hair back and rubbed circles on my back. This was fast becoming a familiar scene with us, the baby was killing me with nausea I had never felt so sick in my life! I loved it though, the nausea reminded me that in 7 short months I would be holding my baby in my arms.

I finally felt the nausea ebb away a bit and leaned back on my knees. Sam wrapped his arms around me and put his hands over my flat stomach. I reached over and flushed the toilet and he helped me up off the floor asking, "Babe do you want me to make you some toast or something?"

Considering for a minute I was still feeling a bit nauseas but I figured if I put a little something in my stomach I'd feel better I replied, "Sure, can you toast me some of the frozen waffles? No syrup anywhere in sight though please!"

He chuckled and nodded, "got it, no syrup."

I watched him as he left the bathroom before turning and picking up my toothbrush. I loaded it up with some toothpaste and cleaned the vomit taste out of my mouth. The day after we found out I was pregnant for sure I had been making pancakes for us, Jake, and Embry and when Jake opened up the bottle of syrup the smell had wafted over to me and I lost it! I had ran to the bathroom and puked for 20 minutes.

That's how Jake and Em found out I was pregnant. Jake was not a happy camper; he was so pissed at Sam for knocking me up before I graduated from high school. Sam had told them that it wasn't their business and he actually gave them an alpha command so that they couldn't tell anyone else about it until after we had decided to share. Apparently Sam had managed to get Dad to hold off on telling Billy about my pregnancy and had called a full council pack meeting and today at noon we were all going to the meeting hall where Sam and I would announce that I was marked I would be inducted into the Quileute tribe and we would announce our pregnancy and lay down the law for the younger imprints.

I headed out to the kitchen and sat down at the table as Sam put a plate of toaster waffles in front of me. I covered them with butter and when that had melted I added strawberry jam to it and ate them that way. Sam had his own plate and I felt bad that he couldn't have syrup with them because he loves, it that's why I was always making pancakes or waffles, because Sam was a syrup junkie. He was being really nice about having to go to the diner or over to Dad's to eat if he wanted syrup on his food. Dad loved having him over and I guess they talked about how much worse it was going to get. I still hadn't told Renee about the baby or even about my engagement. I wanted to wait till after the meeting today.

I looked up at Sam and said, "Hey babe?"

He looked over questioningly, "Yeah?"

Sam hadn't really been Sam the last few days I know he was caught up in the fact that I was pregnant but he had completely changed his habits. He had stopped smoking pot, I wasn't too upset about that, but he had also stopped listening to loud music, and stopped goofing with the guys. I was happy that he was taking it seriously but he was taking it too seriously! I sighed and said, "babe, go smoke a bowl."

He looked at me confused, "What? Bella you can't…"

I cut him off smiling as I said, "I know I can't babe, but that doesn't mean you can't. And you need to knock off this easy listening shit you have playing. Put on some Godsmack or some Sublime or Eminem or SOMETHING! Go out and have fun with Jared and Paul, the baby isn't going to be here for seven more months you don't have to completely change your lifestyle right this minute!"

Sam was looking at me like I had grown another head, "Bella, The Bean is the most important thing to me aside from you! I want to be responsible for him or her! I want to be the best father I can be!"

I took his hand in mine and said, "And you will be Sam! You'll be a great father, baby I have absolutely no doubt about that, you are NOT your father! You need to realize that his failings are not yours. You'll be the best father in the world by being yourself!

Look Sam, you are the best husband/provider/imprinter/fiancé that I could ever ask for. Think of it like this, right now the business is your baby, but it didn't stop you from being you right? You're still a good boss and you run your business right while you're on the clock but when you're off the clock you can cut loose a little right?"

He nods but shakes his head right after and says, "Yeah, but Bella when you're a parent, you're always on the clock! There is no off time on that shit and I'm not going to be irresponsible like that!"

I sigh in exasperation, "Sam I'm not telling you to be irresponsible but it's not going to hurt anyone if you want to cut loose and go get stoned with Jared once in a while! I'm not going to be mad or even mildly upset as long as you're not blowing all your money on it or buying it and leaving me to get diapers from dad or something we'll be cool."

He looks at me a little confused but then like he gets it and he says, "So, you're saying you don't want me to change my lifestyle for the baby? You want me to still hang out with the guys? You don't think that I should change the music I listen to because the baby can't hear it yet?"

I laugh and say, "yeah Sam I do want you to hang out with the guys, Jared and Paul need you! Em, Jake, and Quil need you a lot too! I can take care of myself fine Sam, I'm not going to be mad if you hang with your friends. As far as your music goes even when Bean can hear it you shouldn't alter your taste on his or her account. I mean true when Bean is getting to start to talk we'll have to be more careful about our music and our language but that's still a long ways off. At this point yes things are changing but we're not at the point where we have to change our whole life yet. Hell we won't even have to pick a guest room to turn into a nursery for 5 more months!"

He relaxes visibly and gets up and goes to the stereo and plugs his iPod into it and puts on some Hatebreed before turning to me and saying, "thank God! I hated that easy listening shit I just thought you'd be upset if I continued listening to the same vulgar shit!"

I laugh at that and say, "Sam I like the same kind of music! Why would I be upset about it?"

He smiles and says, "I guess you're right I was just being overprotective I guess."

I nod at him and kiss him on the cheek before going into the living room to watch some tv. Sam goes to shower and change into his work clothes before coming out and kissing the top of my head and saying, "I'm going to do a job over at the Callum's and then one over at the Murphy's, Embry is going to be here in about 5 minutes to chill with you, if you need anything at all call my cell or have Em page me, I love you."

I nod at him because this too has been a daily occurrence the last few days since we had found out about my pregnancy, the majority of the pack and I were on winter break, so while Sam worked either Jake or Em would come and keep me company.

I got up and gave Sam a kiss before saying, "I love you too babe. Are you coming back here or am I going to the meeting with Em and meeting you there?"

Embry comes through the front door saying, "we're meeting Sam over there because he has jobs in the afternoon too."

Nodding at him I kiss Sam again and he kneels down in front of me and kisses my stomach saying to it, "you be good Bean, don't make your momma too sick ok?"

He rubs his hand over it and heads out the door. Embry is smiling at me like an idiot and I snap at him a little, "What?"

He laughs saying, "nothing you guys are just tooth achingly sweet, what do you want to watch for the next few hours?"

I shrug, "I dunno put on whatever as long as it's free, I pretty much just woke up but I want to get a nap. This whole pregnancy thing is kicking my ass, I'm always tired."

Embry awwws at me, and turns his attention back to the TV. I go back into the bedroom and pick out an outfit for the day I feel like being comfy as my pelvic muscles have been starting to ache a bit lately so I pull out a pair of yoga pants and pair it with a plain white t-shirt, laying them on the bed I go in to take a quick shower.

Getting out I towel my hair off deciding to let it dry wavy I throw my clothes on and lay down on top of the covers, I was surprised that Sam had made the bed but he'd been doing that the last couple of mornings so I guess he just didn't want me to do it 'in my condition'. His overprotective coddling was sweet but I didn't want him to feel like he had to wait on me.

I drifted in and out of sleep until Embry stuck his head in the door and said, "B, time to go sis."

I jumped a little and nodded at him. Getting out of bed I slipped on my grey flats and headed out to the living room, Jake was standing with Em so I guess he's driving us. We head out to Jake's rabbit and I ask, "Hey? Where are Ang and Shanna?"

Jake answers, "Shanna is picking Ang up in Forks and they're going to meet us at the meeting hall."

I nod and 5 minutes later we pull into the parking lot at the meeting hall. I see everyone gathered outside except Sam. I see his truck pull into the parking lot and wait for him to come meet us. We all walk into the Hall and get settled in the audience chairs while Sam goes to the Elder table.

Old Quil opens up the meeting, "Sam, I hear you have some announcements to make?"

Sam looks nervous, as all eyes are on him, "Umm yes, actually, Bella and I have some announcements."

He gestures me to come up and I look to Billy who nods as I get up and walk over to Sam. He wraps an arm around me and addresses the council, "Billy, Harry, Old Quil, I called this meeting to let you know that Bella has been marked by me. She is my wife by the old Tribal customs."

Billy had known about the marking and looked happy, Old Quil looked shocked but happy for us, Harry Clearwater on the other hand looked shocked and upset. He sat back in tight-lipped silence as Old Quil asked to see my mark to verify that it was administered in the correct place and that nothing looked out of sorts with it and Billy welcomed me to the tribe and told Sam that they would issue a Quileute marriage certificate and add me to the tribal rolls as his wife and a member of the tribe.

Sam looked over at Harry taking in his upset demeanor. I think it hurt him to know that Harry wasn't happy for us but I guess I could understand it. Sam shook Billy's hand and gave him a one armed hug before continuing, "We have another announcement and then we have to talk about something. Billy I hope you'll be excited for us because we're really happy about this, we're going to have a baby!"

Billy looked at us stunned for a minute but a grin soon spread over his face and he offered us a hearty congratulation. We look around, and most of the pack guys are looking shocked and kind of horrified, the girls all looked thrilled, but I could understand the guys' reaction. Sam looks at them and looks confused as he asks, "What's your problem guys? Why are you looking at us like that?"

Jared speaks up, "Well I don't know how to say this politely so I'll just say it; Bella was on the pill wasn't she? It's just that Kim is on the pill and I think most of the other girls too. The rest of them are so young I mean if Kim and I had a baby now it would be poor timing but we'd be okay, heck even Paul and Rach would be fine, but Jake, Embry, Quil and their girls? Uh uh man. I'm just wondering if you guys planned this because if so it woulda been nice to have a heads up, I mean I'm your best friend I woulda thought you'd tell me something like that."

Sam looks slightly pissed but answers calmly, "it wasn't something we planned, no, but before you guys all get freaked out and worried this segues into the next thing I wanted to talk about. Marking. Now, I know Marking is a private thing and I know it's a personal choice but we need to talk about it now, how many of you girls are thinking that you're going to choose to be marked?"

The younger guys were turning red and Jared and Paul looked pissed that Sam would ask something so private but they got that this wasn't exactly a debatable conversation. I watched as Ang slowly raised her hand followed by Kim and Rachel Shanna looked like she was on the fence and Claire just looked completely horrified at the idea.

Old Quil took over the questioning for a moment asking Ang specifically, "young one, who are you imprinted to?"

Embry spoke up, "She is my imprint, sir."

Old Quil nodded and asked Embry, "You explained what the marking entails and what it means? In relation to her status in the tribe?"

Embry nodded, "Yes sir, I did."

He nodded and Sam spoke up again, "Ok. The reason that I asked you ladies something so private is because Bella and I have discovered something about marking that you all, especially the ones who intend to go ahead with a marking, need to know.

Apparently the mark alters your body chemistry in a way that makes your temperature rise, it's not as bad as ours, only a couple of degrees rather than the 10 degree difference that we have, but it appears that this rise in temperature is enough to make birth control pills ineffective, and apparently make your fertility rise, thereby neutralizing the only form of birth control that we're able to effectively utilize.

Now, I really don't want to make this an alpha command but again I need you guys to honestly tell me if you think you need an order. I honestly got to a point where I couldn't help it, Bella wanted me to do it and I wanted to do it and I literally COULD NOT stop myself.

If any of you feel like you're getting even close to that point where if she said go you would go you have to tell me and I'll place the order that you can not mark your imprint until she is at least 18 years of age. Jared, Paul I know that that doesn't help you guys since both of your girls are over 18 but you need to be aware."

Jared and Paul both nod looking a bit shell shocked. I see Embry, Quil, and Jake discussing it amongst themselves and Em then goes over to Ang and starts talking with her and I see her nodding and pointing at her neck where I can now see an angry looking hickey that before she had been covering with her hair, she points over to Sam and Em walks up to us and says, "Sam I need you to order me."

Sam had also been watching Em and Ang's conversation and he answered, "Yeah, I can see that bro. **Embry Call as your Alpha I order you not to mark Angela Webber until after her 18th birthday.**"

Embry relaxed a bit and went back over to Ang who smiled and waved at me before sitting down. I turned to Sam, "I'm going to sit down okay babe?"

He nodded and I went to sit by Ang. Rach and Kim ran up to me and pulled me up and into a group hug squealing that they were so happy for us and that when I was closer to the end of the pregnancy they were going to throw me the best baby shower ever. I smiled and hugged them back I was so lucky to have them as my best friends.

Ang had settled into a comfortable friendship with Shanna and Claire and spent most of her time with them because they were all the same age and I had started spending a lot more time with Kim and Rachel. It was easier for us because Sam, Jared, and Paul had been close for a long time and of course Jake, Em, and Quil had always been inseparable.

Sam was talking to the other elders about adding our experience to the texts to be passed down to any future packs when it came up about the Cullen's and what happened the night we got engaged. Sam had talked to Carlisle and he had given his word that their family would never come back to Forks as long as the Quileute people remained in La Push, he had been appalled that just their existence in close proximity was what caused the boys to phase.

The Elder's were really pleased about that but they wished Sam had told them about it earlier. When he mentioned that our imprint had protected the pack from Edward's mind reading ability the other Elders were stunned. Billy and Old Quil started talking about adding me to the legend texts which I wasn't really comfortable with when Harry stunned us all when he broke out with, "Well at least now we know why fate paired Sam with a paleface and not my Leah. I guess she just wasn't a big enough freak."

Everyone fell silent and Billy turned to face Harry with a scowl on his face, "Maybe she just wasn't special enough, did you ever think of that? We now know that Bella personally has enhanced the packs ability to fight The Cold Ones! How dare you disparage that! Harry I understand that Leah is having a hard time, maybe if you and Sue didn't tell her everything that was going on in Sam's life she would find it easier to move on!"

Sam looked beyond pissed as he exclaimed, "You've been WHAT? Damn it Harry! I thought you realized that telling her my business wasn't your place! If I wanted Leah to know what was going on in my life I would pick up the phone and call her. Or I'd answer any one of the thousand text messages she sends me on a weekly basis! That shit has to stop by the way I'm missing work related texts and she's making me go over my included texts every month!

I can't change my number because it's the number associated with Uley Construction and you and she both know that! I'm getting really tired of your constant interference! If it weren't for your lie in the first place maybe she would have moved on long before now! I've talked to Charlie about it Harry, you have 30 days to convince her to stop contacting me or he will push through a restraining order on her."

Harry sneered at Sam, "You ungrateful BASTARD! I did everything for you treated you like my own son! My wife and I trusted you with our only daughter and you ruined her life!"

I had had enough, "He did not ruin her life! You think he asked for this life? You, of all people Harry, know how upset he was to not have imprinted on Leah! But he did the right thing ending their relationship! Hell, YOU TOLD HIM TO DUMP HER! Now just because she has her fucking crazy on you want to blame Sam? Look in the fucking mirror, if you hadn't coddled her like a fucking 3yr old who lost her favorite blankie maybe she would have been able to move on like an adult!

She's obsessed with him and Billy is right! If you and Sue would keep your mouths shut about our business maybe she WOULD be better! I swear to God if your wife told her about my pregnancy I'm going to sue her for a HIPAA violation and I won't stop until she's lost her license! I know that you and my Dad haven't been close since Sam and I imprinted and I think it's ridiculous that you're so petty as to take out your issues with imprinting on my dad!"

At that Sam had come up and put his arms around me, he whispered in my ear, "shhh Bella it's okay honey, you can't get so upset right now. Remember what Charlie said? Stress isn't good for you and the Bean."

I took a deep breath and Billy broke in, "Harry this ridiculousness has to stop! Leah was not meant for Sam. I'm sorry that she was hurt but fate had a different plan for both of them! Sam did not ask for this life, furthermore Bella did not ask for him to imprint on her!

You should be down on your knees thanking Bella for driving the Cullen's away! Don't forget that your bloodline also carries the gene! How old is little Seth now anyway? Just turned 14, am I right? He isn't showing any signs of phasing now is he? I can guarantee you Harry that if it weren't for Bella your baby boy would be well on his way to being a wolf just like my son and Old Quil's grandson.

I will tell you right now that if you don't drop this nonsense I will have no choice to replace you on this council. I'm starting to feel like you are using your position to gain information on Sam in order to pass it on to Leah and I'm sorry but that can't be allowed. You need to allow her to move on, you need to encourage her to move on! Bella's right, if you had been firm with her from the start instead of coddling her we probably wouldn't be still dealing with this issue!

I'm going to call this meeting to a close. Bella, Sam, on behalf of the council congratulations on your union and your baby, we're all very happy for you and those who aren't will just have to get over it! Have a good day kids."

We all headed out still kind of stunned about what all went down, I felt like I needed another nap, but the girls wanted to come have a more private discussion about everything we had talked about today so I decided to ride back with Kim and Rach and we would meet Shanna and Ang back at mine and Sam's place.

**A/N: Ok this is as good a place to end as any, again thanks so much for the response for last chapter! Love it! Leave some love and if you have time check out my new Bella/Emmett story "Opposites Attract". Thanks again!**


	31. After the Meeting

**A/N: Stephanie Meyer owns Twilight and all recognizable characters and situations contained therein. **

****Bella POV that same afternoon****

I sat in the kitchen at the house talking with the other imprints. Rach and Kim were having coffee, while the younger girls had soda, and I had a huge glass of water. Rach asked, "So tell us everything Bells, what was it like?"

I blushed, and Kim laughed and said, "Not that you pervert! Just kidding but no, the marking Bella, what was it like? Did it hurt a lot?"

I blushed again and the girls all oooh'd at me, I laughed and said, "It did hurt but lets just say that at the time I wasn't really in a position to feel the pain. It was really, _really_ intense. They use their saliva to heal it after they do it, that's what makes it hotter than the rest of us, and the next day I couldn't even feel it. Except when Sam touched it, oh my god, it was like nothing I'd ever felt before. Totally worth it, even with the unexpected blessing it brought us."

I rubbed my stomach. I was tired and starting to feel nauseous again. I got up and grabbed a cereal bar from the cabinet; I had started to find that if I ate something small when the nausea started it helped. I turned to Shanna and asked, "Hey Shan, what is Claire's deal? She looked absolutely horrified at the idea of the marking, I know it's not a big deal for her because she's native so her and Quil can have the native ceremony and everything, but I don't know I feel like she should at least consider it. It honestly made me feel so much closer to Sam afterward. I can feel when he's distressed or upset now too it helps us to understand them better."

Shanna looked a little uncomfortable as she said, "Well honestly I don't really know, I mean Ang and I hang out with her of course but I feel like we haven't known her long enough to really ask her personal questions like that. If I had to guess though it's that she's afraid of her parent's reaction.

Honestly, even with the fact that Ang's dad is a preacher he's less strict than Claire's rents! Claire and Quil are almost ALWAYS chaperoned, they won't even let her group date with us without one. I mean they're nice about it they don't sit on top of us at the movie, and if we go to a restaurant they always sit at a different table, but they are ALWAYS there! It doesn't help that it drives Quil crazy and he usually doesn't bother to hide it. Her dad HATES him! She also doesn't understand that what's said at council meetings stays just at the meeting and she's afraid that Old Quil or Harry would tell her parents if it looked like she was considering it.

I kind of see her point what with Harry apparently being a huge gossip. Also, your dad knows about the wolves so when you showed up with a huge bite mark on your neck he understood what it was about. My parents? Angela's and Claire's? Even Kim's! They wouldn't get it, they'd think our guys were abusing us!"

Rach cut her off and said, "Also Bella, for you and Ang it's really the only decision you could make. If you want to be considered his wife by the tribe and you want your children to have the tribal benefits that they are entitled to you have to be marked. For the rest of us it really is a harder choice because we really don't have to do it. I want to do it because I honestly think it will help Paul to calm down with his possessiveness, it will prove to him that I am 100% committed to him and that it won't EVER change."

I nodded and Kim spoke up, "My parent's don't know about the wolves but I've talked to them about the marking legend a few times. I asked them how they would feel if I decided to go ahead with it with Jared when the time comes. They don't get the supernatural undertones they just think of it as an ancient rite and they have been pretty supportive of it so long as it's my choice. Now, how I'll explain the fact that it looks like it was done by animal teeth is something I'll have to think about when the time comes, because damn Bella it really looks like a wolf bit your neck!"

Shanna and Angela looked thoughtful and after a minute Angela said, "You know, I never thought of bringing it up to my parents like that. I'll have to get a book on ancient rites and rituals of the Quileute tribe and show it to my dad and get his perspective on it. Chances are if he knows that it's the only way for me and my kids he would give us his blessing."

Shanna nodded and I patted Kim on the back telling her it was a really good idea.

I had decided that I would have a talk with Sam and see if we could sit down with Quil and Claire one day and figure out what to do about their relationship. Quil would have to tone down his attitude with Claire's parents otherwise he would be having another 2 years worth of chaperoned dates. I understood his frustration though, Quil was used to a certain amount of play and Claire wasn't even given the option of being close with him.

Unfortunately my unplanned pregnancy wouldn't really help us look like responsible adults in the eyes of the other girl's parents. I'd probably have to get my dad involved eventually. He'd be the best person to tell them that letting their girls hang out with a pregnant woman was probably the most effective way to PREVENT a teen pregnancy. Most teen girls do not know even WANT to know what a pregnancy entails. Right on cue I jumped up and ran into the bathroom and began emptying my stomach into the toilet.

I heard a crash in the kitchen and a moment later I heard Paul's panicked voice asking me if I was okay. I waved him out of the bathroom and he backed into the bedroom. I finished heaving and flushed the toilet. I rinsed with a little mouthwash and walked out to see Paul standing in the middle of mine and Sam's bedroom looking like he'd seen a ghost. I couldn't help but laugh.

He looked annoyed as I laughed but sort of relieved too, I calmed down enough to tell him, "Paul I'm fine, I'm guessing you had imprint guard duty?"

He nodded still looking sort of spooked, and I continued, "I promise I'm fine, just morning sickness, tell Sam the next time he puts a wolf in our yard to warn him that pregnant women puke at all hours of the day and night."

Paul looked confused as we headed back to the kitchen, as I took my seat again he asked, "Why do they call it _morning_ sickness then?"

Rach and I looked over at him in shock and I laughed and told him, "I think it's usually supposed to be worse in the morning but mine is worst from like 1am to 3am so I don't really know."

He gathered Rachel up close to him and kissed her gently on the forehead before whispering something in her ear that made her giggle and heading out the back door.

Shanna and Ang were looking at me funny and I asked, "What?"

Ang answered, "Bella, you're crying…"

I raised an eyebrow and said, "psh, no I'm not."

I wiped at my cheek to find tears there and said, "Oh, I guess I am, sorry. Hormones. I never know if I'm going to laugh or cry or bite someone's head off. Sam told me I was an emotional rollercoaster the other day and I cried for 10 minutes."

They laughed but looked uneasy and I yawned before saying, "Okay guys the pregnant lady needs a nap so I think we're gunna have to cut this short okay?"

They all nodded and headed out. I went into the bedroom and lay down and closed my eyes falling into darkness.

****Sam POV****

Paul came out of the trees in the backyard of the house where Jared and I were doing a re-shingling job, he climbed the ladder and said, "Quil's on duty over by your house now Sam. Thanks for telling me in advance that Bella would be random puking and that it was normal, asshole! I thought she was really sick, I busted in there like Johnny fucking Law! Imagine my embarrassment when she told me it was just MORNING sickness at 3:30 in the afternoon! I was ready to rush her to the hospital man!"

Jared and I laughed so hard we cried! I finally calmed down long enough to tell Paul, "Sorry man, I forgot you've never been around a pregnant woman, you told Quil right?"

He looked down as he mouthed 'Fuck' and then grinned and said, "I think she was going to take a nap anyway, I'm pretty sure that's what she said when their little imprint meeting ended. They were talking about marking. Bella says she feels so much more connected to you now, Sam!"

He laughed and batted his eyelashes at us, and J and I cracked up, I got it together and told him, "Hey Paul, if you're gunna hang around up here grab a nail gun and some shingles and let's get this finished okay? I'll pay you for the time you know that."

Paul nodded and grabbed a stack of shingles and a nail gun and we went back to work.

****Three hours later****

I pulled into my driveway around 7o'clock and followed the delicious smell of food through my front door. I got into the kitchen to find Bella at the stove mashing sweet potatoes and Charlie setting the table. "Hey Dad."

Charlie greeted me in his usual manner and I walked up behind Bella and wrapped my arms around her waist resting my hand on her stomach. I brushed her hair off her neck and kissed her mark, she giggled and swatted at me as I stuck a finger in the mashed sweet potatoes and took the blender from her.

She exclaimed, "Hey! I was doing that!"

I gently pushed her towards the table, "And now I'm doing it, Baby go sit down, I'm perfectly capable of finishing this and bringing everything over to the table, you shouldn't be lifting anything anyway."

Bella scowled at me and I heard Charlie mutter "uh oh" under his breath. I ignored him and said to B, "honey don't scowl at me, you know that Sue told you not to overdo it."

She sighed and sat down before saying, "I know that Sam! I'm still pissed that I have to have HER as my Dr. for this entire pregnancy! Can't I just tell another Dr. that I have a genetic condition and that's why my temperature is always heightened?"

I considered for a moment before saying, "I don't think it would be a good idea honey, but I'll talk to Billy about it and we'll see what he says. Maybe you could use a midwife for delivery instead. We'll talk about it more when it's closer to that time."

Finished with the potatoes I bring them and the chicken she had roasted over to the table while Charlie grabbed the bowl of carrots. We sat at the table and Bella said, "Honey I want to sit down and talk to Claire and Quil. Apparently Claire's parents have been chaperoning all their dates and Quil hasn't been very understanding of their presence, Ang said he's been pretty rude to them about it and I think we need to talk to them and figure out if there's anything that we can do to help the situation. Unfortunately I don't think that her parents will accept us as being suitable chaperones for them, what with my current condition and all."

Charlie snorted a bit and I replied, "Yeah I guess that could be a problem. I'll talk to Quil about it and see if I can get him to bring Claire over for a chat. Get all their shit out in the open and deal with that. Actually while your dad is here I figured we'd talk about when you want to get married."

Bella looked a little surprised but thought about it for a minute and replied, "I don't want to wait till after the baby is born. I want to marry you soon. I don't want a big thing right now though maybe just us, dad, Billy, the guys, and imprints at the courthouse. Afterwards we can have a potluck in our backyard. How does that sound to you?"

Honestly it sounded perfect to me, no tux just a nice pair of slacks and a nice shirt, no big fuss, just my style. I all of a sudden found myself thinking about the difference between Bella and Leah, when Leah and I talked about getting married she talked about the fairy tale wedding and all the trappings and crap, she didn't talk about us, and our family. She just talked about all the stuff.

Once again I thanked the spirits for giving me Bella, Bella understood me better than anyone else. Clearing my throat I answered, "that sounds great to me Bells if you're sure that you don't want anything bigger."

She shook her head and said, "I'm sure, plus if somewhere down the line we feel like we missed out on something we can always do a big vow renewal. Dad, what do you think?"

Charlie smiled at her and patted her hand as he answered, "Whatever makes you happy Bella. As long as I can give you away that's fine. Just let me know when you want to go."

I winked at Bella and half joking said, "How about tomorrow?"

Charlie sputtered a bit before catching the joke and telling me, "Sorry kid, tomorrow is Saturday. And on Monday Bella is supposed to go back to school. Unless you changed your mind about the GED kid, remember whatever you want to do is fine with me."

Bella thought about it for a minute before answering, "I think we'll take this weekend to talk about it and we'll let you know on Sunday. If we decide that that's the best route to take I'll take Monday morning to go withdraw and then maybe Monday afternoon we can start planning something for sometime next week to give us a chance to get everything set up."

Charlie and I tell her that that's a good plan. We eat our dinner making comfortable conversation when it hits me and I exclaim, "SHIT! Bella! You never told your mom about the engagement or the pregnancy!"

Bella looks guiltily away and I realize that she did it on purpose. I sigh and say, "Bella you know if you don't at least give her the chance to prove you wrong you're going to feel worse in the end than if you gave her the chance and she reacts the way you expect."

She sighs and replies, "I know. I know I have to tell her Sam, honestly I do. I just. Can't it wait till after we're already married? It's not like she's going to be able to come out for it anyway. Not that she would even if she could. Chances are she'll freak out and then she'll send us an extravagant gift and I'll be forced to call her and thank her and have a conversation with her. It's not that I don't love her Sam; really it's just that she's disappointed me so often in my life I just get tired of it. I think the best we've gotten along in the last 6 years was my birthday this past September.

She got me that gift card and that scrapbook and it seemed like she really cared. Then she stopped calling me again and whenever I tried to call her she was too busy with Phil or whatever to talk to me. She doesn't even know your name baby. Any time I tried to call her and talk about you she would give me an attitude about it because I wasn't calling to talk about her. Maybe she was high when I talked to her on my birthday. Generally she always was more maternal when she was stoned."

I wrap my arm around her shoulders and give her a hug as I say, "I'm sorry, honey. I didn't realize it was that bad between you guys, if you don't want to call her or you want to wait till after the wedding that's fine with me. It's whatever you want to do babe."

She nodded and I dropped the subject leaving it for another day.

**A/N: I'm gunna cut this chapter here. Sorry that it's short and has taken a while to get up. One of my other stories sort of ran away with my muse so this has taken a serious backseat and I know that kind of sucks but it's really whatever I'm feelin at the moment. I'm also fleshing out another new story. Like I said before though GBTM will NEVER be forgotten by me. **

**I'll always be putting away at it while working on my other stories, but it's probably going to take a backseat while I build up my other ones. That's really only because this is already a 31 chapter story and the rest of my stories are all less than 10. Just remember that until I put "THE END" at the bottom of a chapter it's not over! **


	32. First Day Back

**Disclaimer: Stephanie Meyer owns Twilight and all recognizable characters and situations contained therein. I know it's been a while since I updated this story and I'm sorry for that but my other stories are mostly still in the beginning while this story is already established so I wanted to concentrate on the others for a while, but I know I've been neglecting this one and so here we are.**

****Bella POV early Monday morning****

Talking with Sam about it yesterday I had decided to stay in school for as long as I was able through the pregnancy. It was nice of my dad that he was being so understanding about it and offering to let me off easy and let me just get my GED but I knew that if I did that deep down he would be disappointed. He may never tell me that he was but he would be. Sam had left about an hour ago for an early morning patrol.

Groaning as my alarm went off, I'm glad that I took a shower late last night when I had been awakened by my nightly dose of morning sickness. I see the note Sam had left for me, '_Bella, if I'm not back before you leave just remember that I love you and that everything is going to be fine. Don't take anyone's crap baby girl and don't let them upset you. Billy talked to Dr Cordero so you won't have any problems with the staff. I love you and our Bean, -Xx Sam'_

I smiled and sniffed a little as my hormones made me tear up, as I headed into the bathroom. After washing my face and putting a little makeup on I went over to my closet and picked out a pair of slightly baggy jeans and an old worn out t-shirt of Sam's. It was soft and only about a size and a half too big because it was a shirt he'd gotten before he had hit even his normal teenage growth spurt, I had found it in the back of his closet about 3 days after I moved in and immediately claimed it because it smelled like him even after I washed it and was something I could actually wear without it falling off of me.

I go into the kitchen and grab a bowl of cereal and a glass of orange juice to take my prenatal vitamin with. Eating quickly I put the dishes in the dishwasher and grab my bag to wait on the porch for Paul. Sam and I had decided that we were going to wait until school got out for spring break in April to get married so that the guys and I wouldn't have to miss any more school than we really had to.

The guys pull up and I see that Embry is driving today, he had just gotten his license over the weekend, and his mom had gotten him a used van with bench seats and plenty of room for the 5 of us to all ride to school together comfortably and even room for Shanna and Claire if needed. Paul's car could only hold 4 comfortably and that included Paul as the driver, and 3 with the driver was a stretch for Jakes rabbit which really only had a half backseat.

Paul jumps out of the car and grabs my bag and throws it in the back over the third row seat. I look at him funny as he ghosts my every move as I get into the car waving at Quil who is up in the passenger seat and sit in the second row as Paul climbs in to sit in the back by the window that rolls down.

I put my seat belt on and Embry pulls away from the curb. I expect him to speed up but he crawls two blocks at 10mph. The guys are all silent as they are keeping a watch out the windows. I finally ask, "What the hell is going on you guys? Embry why are you driving like an old lady?"

Embry calls back, "Sam made me promise to drive really carefully Bella! We're all using our wolf eyesight to look around for any drivers that may pose a threat or cause an accident! You're pregnant B, Sam made us all swear we would keep you and the Bean safe!"

Laughing I yell, "You goofs! Embry come on drive normally please, we're going to be late if you drive the whole way to school going like 8 mph! The rest of you need to listen to me, and listen good, you can't be up my ass at school all day. Paul you can't carry my bag around and walk in front of me clearing a path. You guys I would like to keep this as quiet as I possibly can for as long as I can. Do you guys get that? I mean come on, people only just started to accept that Janna was lying about the rumors she started. I'd rather not go through that bullshit again right away."

Embry relaxes a little and picks the speed up to the 30mph limit while the rest of the guys nod and tell me that they understand where I'm coming from but that they're going to do whatever it takes to keep me and the baby safe and comfortable. Em pulls up in front of Jakes and Jake runs out of the house with Rachel trailing behind him, he climbs in and sits next to Paul in the 3rd row seat, as Paul rolls down the window on his side and Rach leans in and gives him a kiss good morning.

They chat for a little bit until Embry calls back, "Come on Paul, say goodbye man, we're going to be late."

Paul scowls at him and pulls Rach half in the window and gives her a kiss goodbye. We pull into the lot at the school like 5 minutes later.

****Time Skip still BPOV****

Walking into the cafeteria with Paul we make our way over to our usual table and he sets my bag on the floor next to my seat. He insisted on carrying my bag for me claiming it was just too heavy for me to carry myself. No one had commented on it so far and I was hoping we'd make it through today without incident. My morning sickness had thankfully kept to a dull rolling nausea that left me feeling like I'd been on a boat for too long but at least I hadn't had to run out of class to puke so far today.

Jake comes in with his arm around Shanna's shoulder talking to Embry, they come and sit down and Shanna asks, "Hey Bella, how are you feeling today?"

I shrug, "I feel about as good as I could expect I guess, I'm just glad no one's perfume has set me off so far today."

Quil comes in with Claire and sits down with her on his lap; I roll my eyes because he knows they're going to get yelled at for that and I don't understand why he does it just to get in trouble for it. Predictably the teacher assigned to this lunch period comes up and says, "Mr. Ateara, we do not have any sort of chair shortage and I've told you multiple times that you and Miss. Young may NOT share a seat!"

Quil rolls his eyes and Claire gets up and moves to the seat next to him and he says to the teacher, "There, she has her own seat now, thanks for being a killjoy Mr. H."

The teacher scoffs and says, "My pleasure Mr. Ateara, if I have to tell the two of you again I'm going to give you both 2 days of detention and send a letter home to each of your families."

He walks off and I turn to Quil, "Dude, what is your problem? You can't just go around disrespecting teachers like that man. Half your problem with Claire's parents is the attitude you give them and the fact that she snuck out to see you that time and they caught you. Sam and I want you both to come over one night this week so we can talk about what is going on with you and try to come up with a solution."

He looks down as he says, "I know, he told me. I know you're right Bells, really I do, I don't know why I'm being like this. I guess it's just the frustration of never having one moment alone with my girlfriend. I mean think of how you and Sam would have felt if Charlie never left you guys alone EVER!

Her mom is up our collective asshole from the time we come in the door to the time I leave, they don't even let me kiss her goodbye! If we want to go over to my house if my parent's aren't going to be home or Mrs. Young can't TALK to them Claire can't come! Even on group dates they HAVE to come! It's fucking ridiculous! Your dad is a cop and Angela's dad is a priest and you had the most freedom of any imprint besides Rachel who is already out of school and an adult, and Ang's dad has always been really cool with Em, and letting them spend time alone. It's not FAIR!"

By the time he gets to the end of his little rant Claire is almost in tears and Quil looks like he feels like shit for reducing her to them. He gets a hold of himself and wraps an arm around her as he whispers in her ear. I roll my eyes a little because he sounds exactly like what he is, a hormonal teenager throwing a fit!

I put my hand on his arm and tell him, "Quil, I understand where you're coming from, maybe not from personal experience but I really do get it. I can imagine how annoying and frustrating that must be for both of you. We'll talk about it at Sam's, make it Wednesday evening and if her parent's would like to chaperone that's fine with us."

He smirked and said to me, "B, do you really think they would let us go to your 'den of sin' without them? Why do you think Claire hasn't come to a party at your place since that first one where I imprinted?"

I looked at him puzzled and ask, "My what?"

He rolls his eyes and says to Claire, "Tell her Claire"

Claire looks really uncomfortable and she starts to sputter out, "My parent's believe that you and Sam are living in sin. My aunt tried to tell them that you were already his wife in the eyes of the tribe because you had been _marked_, and that you hadn't lived with him before the marking, and how responsible you and Sam are for the younger kids in the group, and that you guys would never let us get into trouble. But they believe that since you couldn't have the Quileute wedding ceremony and since you have chosen not to have a religious ceremony of any type that you are not married, and that you are not the type of people I should be modeling my life after. I'm sorry, they're just really religious they joined some weird branch of Christian Fundamentalism when I was about 10 and just went crazy."

I'm just staring at her and feeling anger flowing through me. I take a deep breath to calm myself down because I know it's not her fault but I have a feeling that nothing Sam or I say is going to do anything to change how her parent's see us and honestly there's not anything we can do to help the two of them out, I mean they're her parents. They have every right to raise her however they see fit as long as they aren't being abusive or anything.

I'm about to open my mouth and say something when I smell something that smells like syrup. Oh no…looking around I see the culprit, at the next table one of Janna's friends is eating what looks like cold pancakes with a little container of syrup. Fuck, my stomach rolls over and I try to breathe through my mouth but it's too late. I feel the nausea crash and my stomach heaves as I push myself away from the table and run as fast as I can to the ladies room.

****Embry POV****

Oh shit! Bella just fuckin booked out of the caf and everyone is staring and looking confused. I see the light go on over Janna's head but she just bites her lip and looks down. Her friends are starting to get it though and I see one of them, a girl I've gone to school with since kindergarten and whose name I have never bothered to learn lean over and say something to the guy at the table next to her.

She tries to whisper but with our wolf ears she may as well be talking at normal speaking volume because I hear her perfectly as she says, "Wow, she must be pregnant, I guess Janna was telling the truth after all. I wonder which of their group is the dad."

The kid she's talking to is a guy named Jesse, he used to be one of my best friends before I met Jake and Quil and although we had drifted into different groups we still talked some. He scoffs at her and says, "yeah right Ava. I know Embry, we may not hang anymore, but we still talk. That girl, Bella I think is her name, is married to his older brother Sam. He's that young guy who is on the council. So if she is pregnant that's whose kid it is and besides all those guys have girlfriends who they're practically married to I don't believe any of them would fool around"

The girl, Ava, looks shocked as she said, "She's MARRIED! How could she be married? We're still in high school!"

Jesse shrugs and tells her, "She's 18 already."

A freshman girl who is sitting with Seth Clearwater and a bunch of his friends at the table one over from theirs leans over and says, "My boyfriend Seth's older sister used to date Sam Uley! I overheard his mother telling her on the phone that Sam had marked that Bella girl in order to get a Quileute marriage certificate, and that he had to do it because Sherriff Swan pulled a gun on him, and it was a total shotgun affair. That Sam still really wanted to be with Leah and that he told Sue that if it wasn't for the baby he would have left the paleface and gone back to her."

As she had been speaking I had gotten up and started walking over pretending I couldn't hear them until I got right up next to them. Seth notices me and says, "Hey Embry, why are you friends with that girl if she trapped your bro with a kid?"

I look at him like he has 3 heads and ask him loudly, "What the fuck did you say?"

He looks taken aback and says, "Dude I don't mean any offense it's good on your family if he steps up and takes responsibility for his kid and everything but still, I'd be pissed if it was my brother. I really miss Sam, he was cool, and I wish he was still with Leah."

Shaking my head I tell them, "You idiots have it all wrong. Bella didn't trap Sam at all, Seth your mom is insane, no offense or anything man but she shouldn't be saying anything to your sister about things she finds out at her job she's going to be lucky if she doesn't lose her license over this. Also do you guys even understand marking? Do you even know how it works? It has to be done while the guy and girl are fucking!"

I break off and watch as Seth and his little girlfriend blush before I continue, "Do you really think Sherriff Swan had ANYTHING to do with something that happened while his daughter had sex? My brother LOVES Bella, he marked her _because_ he loves her, and he wanted her to be his wife. Besides that happened back in December and she only JUST found out she was pregnant right before winter break last week. So you're all wrong about everything, and frankly Seth, your mom is full of shit!"

At that moment I looked up and saw Bella looking at me with shock and anger on her face. Shit, she thinks I just blabbed her secret all over the place. She goes back over to the table and sits down next to Paul.

****Bella POV****

Embry sits down and I cross my arms over my chest and glare at him before asking, "What the fuck Em? Why did you tell them that!"

He looks at me apologetically and explains, "Bella it wasn't what you think! That girl with little Seth Clearwater was telling everyone how she overheard his mom telling Leah on the phone that Sam marked you in order to get a Quileute wedding certificate and that he only did it because your dad forced him to and that he told her that if it wasn't for the baby that he would have left you to go back to Leah. It's fucking bullshit! I just wanted to set them straight!"

I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding and I take deep calming breaths. I'm about to start counting to 10 for the third time when someone wraps their arms around me from behind, I can feel the current and I know it's Sam. I have no idea what he's doing here but I'm glad he is. I match my breathing to his and I finish counting to 10 and nod, "I'm okay. I was just so mad I thought I was going to explode! Sam honey what are you doing here?" 

At that moment the lunch teacher came back and said, "Sir, you can't be in here, and you most certainly may not touch the students!"

Sam glares at the man and tells him, "I have special permission to be here; you can talk to Dr. Cordero about it, this is ridiculous, he was supposed to have a meeting and let the staff know."

He stands up and sticks his hand out, "I'm Sam Uley; Bella Swan is my wife by the old tribal customs. I'm also…"

The teacher cuts him off, "You're on the council… and you're telling me that this girl, who is in HIGH SCHOOL, is your WIFE? What is she 16?"

I break in, "Actually I've been 18 since September. Look, I really don't want to cause trouble. If this is really going to be such a big deal I'll go to the office and withdraw myself from the school. I don't want to disrupt everyone around me's education. I really wanted to keep this quiet. I found out something that really upset me and Sam had been coming to give me something and I guess he just happened to get here at the right time because if he hadn't I probably would have had a hormonal freak out right here in the caf."

The teacher is looking at me in shock as he says, "Miss Swan no one is suggesting that you terminate your education. If Dr. Cordero was supposed to tell us about your circumstance I'm sorry but he didn't, this is the first I'm hearing of this. I'm sorry for questioning you Mr. Uley."

Sam just waves him off and tells him it's fine. I look around to see that apparently the scene that Sam and the teacher just put on has everyone but Janna staring at our table in shock. He snaps out, "What the hell are you all looking at? You gunna tell me that not one of you have parent's who had you young, or an older sister who got into trouble? Keep it in mind I went to school right here not all that long ago with some of your families so I know whose families have skeletons in the closet. There's nothing to see here, she's married and pregnant, and I'm sure most of you have seen your mom's in that position. So all of you learn to mind your own fucking business!"

I can see the rest of the guys minus Jared glaring around at the entire caf backing Sam up and everyone goes back to what they were doing before Sam came in looking like chastised children, and I don't think I've ever been happier to have Sam by my side than I am right now. I turn to him and fling my arms around his neck as I say, "How'd you know?"

He holds me close as he says, "It's the imprint. I always know when you're upset but since you've been marked I get it extra. I could feel your anger and hurt, I thought I was going to kill Harry who I was with at the time; we were having a fight as it was. When I realized it was the imprint and not my own anger I came here. I texted Paul and he let me know you guys were at lunch. I knew you were trying to get it under control, and I know that when I'm angry it helps me calm down if you touch me, so I figured it would work the same way for you."

I smiled at him and then yawned and he looked at me with something like panic and said, "Are you okay? You need to rest, come on, I'll take you home!"

The bell rang and he picked up my bag and put an arm around my waist, he had ushered me halfway to the door leading to the parking lot before I dug in my heels as I said, "STOP!"

He stopped cold and looked at me, "Bella, the baby!"

I snapped at him, "I'm FINE Sam! I have one more class to get through today and then I will go home and take a nap, I promise you that I am not doing anything strenuous. I don't even HAVE a gym class here because it turns out that Paul doubled up last year too and we both picked an art elective instead so you don't have to worry about that. Most of my day is study halls and lunch babe. My English and Science credits were all done last year so all I have is math, AP history, art, and a computer programming course which is my last class of the day, walk me up."

He follows me to the classroom and we get there about a minute after the bell, he leans in to kiss me and I wrap my arms around his neck as he brushes his lips lightly against mine. He breaks the kiss and asks, "How long is the class?"

I reply, "about 37 minutes now."

He laughs and kisses my forehead, "I'll wait in the truck I'm parked next to Em's van. See you in 35 minutes. Get in there before you get detention."

I smile and walk into the class. The teacher stops, "Miss Swan, nice of you to join us!"

I smirk and say, "I'm sorry I'm late I had to stop and throw up on the way."

The class snickers and the teacher looks confused, "I'm sorry?"

I roll my eyes as I head for my seat and say, "Don't be, I'm not, again I'm sorry I was late. If you need an excuse you can talk to Dr. Cordero. He was supposed to have told all my teachers that I'm pregnant but I guess he didn't think Billy Black was serious."

****Sam POV****

I wake up with a jolt when Bella gets into the truck, "Hey baby. How'd your last class go?"

She shrugs with this angry look on her face and I know I'm going to be getting a front row ticket to a hormonal meltdown. Paul throws her backpack in the bed and waves as he walks into the trees to phase and run over to the Black's.

I start the truck and pull out and start driving home as Bella starts ranting, "Okay, new problems Sam. First off, as you figured out Dr. Cordero hasn't told ANY of my teachers that I'm pregnant! Second, apparently Seth Clearwater's girlfriend heard Sue telling Leah about me being pregnant, you marking me, and also telling her that YOU told HER that if it wasn't for the baby you would have left me and gone back to Leah! I want you to take me to the clinic Sam."

Pulling over onto the shoulder of the road I turn to look at Bella my eyes wide with shock as I say, "Are you freaking kidding me? She told Leah WHAT!"

I can feel myself losing control and Bella reaches out and takes my hand. Instantly I have myself back under control, fuck that! My wife and my unborn child are a foot away from me, what the fuck is wrong with me? I take a deep breath and immediately feel better as Bella is stroking her hand softly over my hand and wrist.

Smiling at her I ask, "Do you really want me to bring you to the clinic? You know that I can't let you get too worked up baby, it's not good for the Bean."

She nods and says, "Oh yeah, I'm definitely sure that I want you to take me to the clinic. I just want to confront her and file a complaint after that we're going with my idea and I'm just going to say my temperature is elevated by a rare genetic condition."

I groan thinking about what a bad idea this really is because Sue is literally the only PA who knows the truth about the wolves and why B's temp is elevated. If she loses her license what will happen if something goes wrong at the birth? I look at B again and I ask, "B are you sure? I mean I know it sucks and I'm just as angry as you trust me I am, but we're kind of stuck between a rock and a hard place. I think we need to have a council meeting to discuss everything that is going on and maybe Billy has some sort of solution to our problem."

She just shakes her head and sighs, "Fine. I know that you're right and that I have to do what's best for the Bean even if it just makes me so damn mad I can't see straight! I mean seriously Sam I don't want her as my PA or anything! What if she tries to hurt the baby? Or me? I don't think I can trust her with our health and safety. We need to meet with Billy, and I think we need to talk to him about the Quil/Claire situation too because I don't think anything we say or do is going to make a difference for her parents."

I nod and tell her, "Okay, I'll call him after you go to take your nap. You're right though, we're going to have to figure out something else in the doctor department, now that you've said it out loud I really don't want Sue anywhere near you or the baby."

**A/N: Phew, I'm getting back into this story, sorry to leave it hanging for so long! I will try my best to keep on it more! Leave some love! **


	33. I Really Wasn't Expecting This

**Disclaimer: Stephanie Meyer owns Twilight and all recognizable characters and situations contained therein! All original characters and situations in this fic are MINE! Just want to say thanks to all who reviewed for the last chapter, all the reviews made my morning when I got up and looked at my phone! **

****Sam POV 15 mins later****

Settling on the couch I can hear Bella moving around in the bedroom. I put my head in my hands and let out a long exhale. What the fuck are we going to do? As wonderful as life with Bella is I've found out the hard way that she can be the most stubborn person I've ever met when it comes to something that she doesn't want to do.

If she doesn't want to see Sue as her doctor absolutely nothing Billy or I or anyone could say would change her mind, and really now that she's put the idea in my head of Sue trying to hurt her or our baby I really have to agree with her in that I don't want any of the Clearwater's around her or my child.

In saying that though what are we going to do? I mean I know women have been having babies way before western medicine was around but this is my wife, my Bella, how do I gamble with her health and safety that way? If anything went wrong in that scenario I could lose both her and the baby. Sighing I pick up my cell and call Billy.

He answers it on the second ring and says, "_Hey Sam, I talked to Paul already. Council meeting tomorrow night at 8:00, bring Bella."_

Exhaling I say, "Thanks Billy. Look do you think I could stop by and talk about a couple of things? Bella needs to take a nap and I don't want to chance disturbing her."

He laughs a bit as he replies, "_Sure, that'd be fine, I know how a pregnant woman can get when you keep her up."_

Laughing I tell him I'll be over in 5 and we hang up.

****Time skip, still SPOV****

Pulling up at Billy and Jake's I park and get out of my truck and head inside. Paul and Rachel probably went over to his place and I can hear Jake and Quil in the garage. Taking a detour I go around the back and peek in the door of the garage, "Hey guys, what are you up to?"

Jake looks up from the car he's working on, "Not much, just doing an oil change for my neighbor. Shanna's birthday is next month so I'm taking side jobs to earn money so I can get her something nice."

I nod at him, "That's great Jake. Let me know if you want to take some construction work if you need the extra when the time comes. Quil man, how are you doing?"

Quil shrugs, "I'm okay I guess, it's just so fucking unbelievably frustrating! I mean not to sound like a jerk but I absolutely hate her fucking parents! Why couldn't they have gotten a normal hobby? I mean don't get me wrong, Claire is great and I love her but I go to family dinner night alone every week because they are nasty and judgmental! Jared's mom tried to talk to them, told them how good an influence you had been on Jared and Paul and how great Kim and Bella are but it didn't do any good! They just started ranting about how you and B live in sin and that J and Kim are even worse because she's not even marked and they are talking about moving into the apartment over the store!"

I sigh and pat him on the shoulder as I say, "Dude, seriously everything is going to work out. What I'm thinking we're going to do is get your grandfather to get your parents to talk to her parents and see if we can't work out some sort of compromise. If worst comes to worst it's only another year and a half before you're both legal and then you can do whatever you want, she can move out of their house and you'll both be free. I know it sucks Quil, and I'm sorry but they are her parents, and not even imprinting can change that."

I remind them about their rounds and tell them I'll see them later as I head into the house to see Billy. Going in the back door I find him in the kitchen drinking a cup of coffee, "Hey Billy"

I drop into the seat across from him and he smiles at me as he sets his coffee cup down and says, "Hey Sam. How is Bella doing today?"

I smile as I tell him, "As far as I know she's doing fine, she had a long day and she's taking a nap. She's still suffering with the morning sickness although hers is mostly middle of the night sickness. She only threw up at school once today and she said that was because someone had syrup in the caf."

Breaking off I feel a scowl take over my face as I tell him, "I'm sure Paul told you that none of her teachers had been informed of her pregnancy or that she is married to a council member, and apparently Seth Clearwater's girlfriend heard Sue telling Leah about me marking Bella but she told her that Charlie made me do it because I got her pregnant, she also obviously told her about the pregnancy, and she told Leah that I told her that if it wasn't for the baby I would have left Bella and gone back to her."

Billy is gaping at me and I continue, "I don't know what to do anymore Billy! Bella needs a doctor for this pregnancy but the only doctor she can see who won't ask awkward questions about her temperature and stuff is Sue! She doesn't want to see her anymore Billy, and you _know_ how Bella can be when she makes her mind up on a subject. I'm half tempted to call Dr. Cullen and beg him to come be her doctor! I just don't know what the right thing to do in this situation is! She's afraid that Sue will try to hurt her or the baby and frankly as soon as she said it out loud that's become all I can think of. I swear to God Billy, as much as I ever thought of Sue as a second mother, if she hurts Bella or our baby I will kill her and not think twice about it! Bella needs to see a doctor though, if only for my peace of mind. I'm afraid that if she tries to just have a home birth and God forbid something goes wrong I could lose them both, and I know I wouldn't survive that."

I put my head in my hands again and lean it on the table as Billy pats me sympathetically on the back and says, "Sam, I know this is hard and I'm so sorry that some people who are supposed to be supportive and on your side aren't, but ya know what? Forget about them! Think of all the support you and Bella DO HAVE! You have the Pack, the imprints, Charlie, Kay, Jared's parents, me, and even Old Quil supports you both! All of us support you guys, I know that it's hard but we will get you through it! Don't even worry about the Clearwater's that will be taken care of tomorrow. I've let this nonsense go on long enough because of my former close friendship with Harry but not anymore!"

He breaks off and takes a deep breath and now he's looking uncomfortable and slightly afraid as he says, "Sam I need to tell you something, but I'm afraid of how you'll take it. I can't tell you now because I think Bella and Embry need to be there to hear it as well as it affects both of them too but I want you to know that I didn't keep anything from you, I only just found out about this today."

I'm looking at him as I have this horrible feeling I know what this is about, and I ask him, "Does this have something to do with my father?"

He sighs, "I can't tell you now. Call Embry, and I'll stop by your house after supper, say around 8:30."

I sigh and say, "Okay, that sounds like a good time… I'm gunna go, I think maybe I need a nap too. I'll see you later Billy."

Going out to my truck I call Embry, he picks up on the second ring, "_Hey bro, what's up?"_

I sigh a bit as I tell him, "Hey Em, not much going on here. Umm I need for you to come over tonight, you may as well come for dinner if your mom is working. Billy needs to speak with us, and Bella about something. I think it has to do with Joshua…"

I hear him gasp and then he replies, "_What? Seriously? What do you think it is?"_

Taking a deep breath I tell him, "I honestly don't know Em, but that's the only reason I can think of for him wanting to tell me something but not being willing to tell me without you and B there."

He takes a moment I guess to consider what I'm saying before he says, "_yeah probably. My mom is off work tonight so I'll eat here and see you and Bella at 8:00?"_

I tell him that's fine and we hang up.

****Bella POV****

I wake up to the feeling of Sam sliding into bed behind me and wrapping his arm over my waist. He puts his hand on my lower abdomen under my shirt and rubs it through my lightweight yoga pants, I lean back against him and he kisses my neck as I shiver and ask, "What time is it?"

He pauses for a minute before answering, "It's about a quarter to 3."

I start to shift to get up and he asks, "Where are you going?"

I let him pull me closer for a minute before trying again and answering, "I have to get up and do some homework before I have to cook dinner."

Sam groans and pulls me back to him as he says, "No babe, you and the Bean need to rest right now. We're going to order take out for dinner at around 5, and you can do your homework afterwards. Billy is coming over at around 8:30, he needs to talk to us and Embry."

I let myself close my eyes and enjoy the feel of my husbands embrace, it may only be official to the tribe but I love thinking of Sam as my husband. Sighing a little in content I ask, "Is everything okay?"

He rubs his hand in slow circles over my stomach for a minute before he answers, "I'm not sure. He said he had to tell me something but that he couldn't tell me without Embry and you there. I think it might have something to do with my dad."

I gasp a little and ask, "You think he knows where he is?"

He holds me a little tighter as he replies, "I honestly don't know B. It's possible I guess. Let's not worry about it right now, I just want to hold my girl and go to sleep thinking about her and my Bean. I can tell you right now B, even if the world were normal and we were just two normal people who fell in love, I would never leave you the way my dad did my mom. I would never willingly leave you to raise our baby alone."

I turn in his embrace so that I can wrap my arms around his neck as I kiss him gently and tell him, "Shh, I know you wouldn't Sam. I love you, and I know you love me, I've never doubted that."

****Time skip Sam POV****

The alarm on my phone went off at 5:15, groaning I rolled over and grabbed it turning it off and then turned back to where Bella was sleeping. She was a moderately heavy sleeper and the low alarm on my phone though loud to my wolf ears didn't bother her in the slightest.

I shake her gently as I whisper in her ear, "Bella, baby it's time to wake up."

She groans a little but opens her eyes, her brown eyes locking with my own as a slow smile curves her lips as she leans in and presses her lips gently to mine. I pull her to me wrapping my arms around her and kiss her again lingering until she pulls away. I pout a little and she smiles as she rolls her eyes and says, "You just said it's time to get up, Sam."

Laughing lightly I shake my head, "Yeah but that was before you were kissing me."

She laughs with me and relaxes back into my arms brushing her lips back across mine, I'm enjoying the moment when her stomach growls, lowering my hand to rub her still flat stomach I pull away and smile at her as I say, "I think the Bean is hungry baby. You should get a snack and I'll order dinner. Do you want Chinese or pizza?"

Bella considers for a moment before answering, "Chinese I think. Before you order check if Dad is home and see if he wants to eat with us. He doesn't necessarily have to stay when Billy gets here."

Nodding I ask her, "You want your usual?"

She nods back as she gets out of the bed, I take in the loose yoga pants and my old t-shirt and smile as I pull on my jeans and take my cell out of the pocket as I walk through to the living room.

Checking through it as I head out onto the front porch and turning see that Charlie's cruiser is indeed in the driveway at his house. Looking back down at my phone I see that I have the usual amount of crap from Leah, she sends me about 30 messages a day and it's all the same shit, '_why won't you talk to me?' 'I love you' 'I know you don't really want this'_ it's always the same.

Inevitably as I read through them quickly and delete them I see that they turn into attacks on Bella and how she trapped me with a baby and that her mom told her everything. I want so badly to tell her that everything her mother says is bullshit and to defend Bella from her baseless attacks but Charlie has told me that once I respond the situation becomes an argument and there is nothing that can legally be done to stop her.

Deleting the last one as I walk up Charlie's porch steps the door is open and I see him talking to someone I can't see. I step through the door and call out, "Hey Charlie."

He curses and comes out with Harry following close behind him an angry scowl on his face as he says, "My daughter is coming back from Makah this weekend Sam. You make sure you stay away from her, you hear?"

I scoff at him curling my lip up and raising my eyebrow as I say, "Excuse me? I'm not the one contacting her Harry. Maybe you should be telling HER to stay the fuck away from ME! She had better keep her distance from Bella too. I'm not joking with you Harry, you keep her away from my wife and unborn child. She even moves too fast in Bella's direction and I won't be able to be held responsible for my actions."

Harry's eyes are ice cold as he looks from me to Charlie before storming out of the house.

Charlie lets out a sigh and rubs the back of his neck in an aggravated gesture that I've seen Bella do at least a hundred times when one of the guys is getting on her nerves. He drops into his recliner and looks up at me as he asks, "What's up son?"

I grin at him and shrug as I tell him, "We're ordering Chinese takeout. Bella sent me over to see if you wanted to join us. Billy is coming over tonight around 8:30 to talk to Embry, Bella and I about something. I'd like for you to be there too because whatever it is it affects our family so it affects you too."

He looks at me confused and I sigh as I tell him, "I'm pretty sure it has something to do with my father. No idea what but that's the only thing I can think of."

Charlie is staring at me looking as shocked as I probably felt when Billy first brought it up and I say, "I know. It's freaking me out too."

He comes over and puts a hand on my shoulder as he says, "I'll be there son."

I mumble out a thanks and he clears his throat before he says, "Well go ahead and order the food I'll take my usual, thanks son"

I follow him out of the house and place the order for the food as we walk back down to ours. Walking in behind Charlie I sit on the couch and flip on the TV as he goes into the kitchen to see what Bella is doing.

****Bella POV****

As I worked on what was left of my math homework my dad came into the kitchen saying, "Hey baby girl, how's my grandbaby doing?"

Smiling back at him I said, "We're doing good, nothing out of the ordinary. What about you?"

He scowls a moment and then says, "Nothing really. Bella I need you to know that Leah is coming home from Makah this weekend. I want you to stay away from her, that girl isn't right in the head right now, and I don't want to see her hurt you or my future grandchild."

Aggravation rolls through me and I snap at him, "What do you mean she's coming back! Dad can't we get a restraining order or something? I mean she texts Sam at least 30x a day Dad!"

He looks uncomfortable as he tells me, "Sam can get a restraining order, but she hasn't threatened you in any way Bella. So while the restraining order will protect you in the house and anywhere outside of it so long as you're physically WITH Sam if you're by yourself it does nothing."

Sighing I tell him, "I understand that, I'm sorry for snapping at you Dad."

He brushes it off with casual ease and sits down across from me and looks over what I'm doing as we talk.

****Time skip Sam POV****

Bella had finished her homework shortly before dinner had arrived and I was surprised when she ate all of her food plus some of mine.

Pregnancy really agreed with Bella when she wasn't puking. She glowed with happiness and her eyes sparkled whenever anyone brought up the baby. She still hadn't told her mother but I had finally figured out that she would do it in her own time. Right now she just still wasn't ready.

Charlie and Bella were in the kitchen talking while Embry and I had settled on the couch and he turned on the TV to one of the rock stations while we waited for Billy to arrive.

Promptly at 8:30 Jake opened the door. He said hello to everyone as he brought Billy into the living room. The mood was tense and Jake excused himself telling Billy that he'd be back to pick him up around 10:00.

Bella and Charlie came in from the kitchen and Charlie took my recliner as I pulled Bella down onto my lap wrapping my hands protectively over her stomach as she leaned back against me.

We all exchanged greetings and Billy got down to business, "Sam, Embry, as I was telling Sam earlier I have some news to give you both and I just want you both to know that I did not keep anything from you I only just found out about this, just today in fact."

Em and I are looking at Billy with identical looks of confusion in our eyes and I tell him, "We understand Billy. Just please, tell us what is going on."

He takes a deep breath and continues, "I received a phone call from your father today Sam. Asking permission for he and his daughter to move back to the reservation."

I feel my jaw drop and my heart drops into my stomach, I finally get my act together and choke out the one word that is stuck in my throat, "Daughter?"

Embry grabs my hand and I feel the tremors going through him Bella wraps her arms around me as she whispers in my ear, "You're okay baby, I'm right here. Embry, Charlie, and I are here with you babe, and you're okay. Just breathe Sam, take a breath for me"

I realize then that the tremors I'm feeling aren't from Embry, they're from me. I take a deep breath matching my breathing to Bella's and I feel myself start to relax. I take another deep inhale and let it out before telling Billy, "Continue, please."

He's looking at me to make sure I'm under control and not a danger to Bella. He waits another moment and then continues, "Sam you and Embry have an older sister. I remember your father running off for a period of time when he was 18, no one knew where he went or who he stayed with during that time but he came back at 20. Apparently during the 2 years he was gone he married, had a daughter, and divorced.

Obviously you know that when he came back he met Sam's mother and they eventually married and had Sam. When Sam was 4 Joshua got a job that required him to travel between here and up by the Makah reservation, there he met Embry's mother, they started an affair, and eventually she became pregnant and he walked out on her too. Kay knew that Josh was from here and so she moved down here when her parents threw her out of their home.

Of course by this time Josh was long gone. He ran, and no one could tell us where. Believe me when I say we did look for him. I called everyone I knew in Makah but they hadn't seen him since he left his job with the power company.

Your sister's name is Christine Uley, she's half Quinault on her mother's side, and she's 26 years old. When she was 10, this was the same year that your father bolted on both your mother's, Christine's mother Nadine passed away in a car accident. She had no other family, her mother was an only child to parents who were only children and both of them had previously passed away so unfortunately she was put into the system.

Her mother had a friend who had offered to take her in, but she wasn't equipped to take care of a young girl full time, so instead she spent the next two years hunting Joshua down. She found him in Seattle after he got arrested for a drunk and disorderly. She paid his fine and bailed him out and took him down to her place in Taholah. After he sobered up he recognized her and tried to leave because he thought Nadine had put her up to it to get him back there. She explained what had happened and told him that Christine had been put into foster care.

Joshua had no choice, like me he remembered his father phasing, and though we had always been told women couldn't phase none of us knew for sure what was and wasn't possible. He claimed her from the foster care agency cleaned his life up and gained custody of her. I want you to know that I am in no way making excuses for him or saying that the two of you even have to speak to him if you don't want to.

They moved to Denali Alaska when Christine was 13 and have lived there ever since."

The moment he said Denali I felt the tug of recognition but couldn't place it until I heard Bella gasp. I took a shaky breath and said, "You're kidding me; your trying to tell us our sister's a wolf isn't she?"

Billy looks grim and he answers, "Not yet. Old Quil and I were discussing it after the phone call and what we think is that the gene is dominant in the males and recessive in females. You boys were exposed to the Cullen's for over a year before Sam phased. We think that if they had continued to live here for another year or so at least 3 other males who carried the bloodline would have phased, and most likely 1 female also would have phased."

I can't even stop myself as I exhale the name that pops into my head, "Leah…"

Billy nods sadly, "Yes, we believe she would have been the last to phase had the Cullen's stayed. As it happens they moved to stay with their friends in Denali. It's been 5 months, and though being in the same town as the Denali clan for however many years did not trigger the change, 3 months of working at the same hospital as Carlisle Cullen has. She is in the very beginning stages, we think there is a chance that bringing her here will stop it as there has been no vampire activity here at all since shortly after the Cullen's left."

I shake my head, "No, if it has begun it is too late. Quil was not so far into the change either but though the Cullen's left he is still one of us."

Embry cuts in, "But there's a chance, isn't there? Quil is a guy, our sister obviously is not which mean her gene is recessive and if we take away the trigger maybe it will just go back to sleep. Not to mention the fact that though the Cullen's were gone there were still 2 or 3 nomads in the area."

Turning to look at my brother I see the good man he is and I pat his leg as I say, "You're right Em, there's definitely a chance, and a chance is worth it I guess even though I still say it's a slim one."

Turning back to face Billy I ask, "Does she know about us? Does he? Did you tell them that the Pack is here? Did he tell her the legends? Or is that being left to us?"

Breaking off as Bella lays her hand on my cheek I listen as Billy tells us, "I did not give him any details about your private lives, I did tell him that both of you were here, that Kay was here with Embry, that unfortunately Sam's mother had passed on, and that you were both Protectors. He doesn't know that you are Alpha, Sam. Or that either of you has imprinted, or anything else other than that you have phased and how old you are. He has expressed regret about the past, and has expressed an interest in speaking with you both, but like I've said that is totally up to you.

Your sister knows that both of you have phased but again I did not tell her any of the details of your lives other than your involvement in the pack, though again I did not reveal your specific positions. She is looking forward to getting to know you both. They will be moving in on Saturday and on Monday she will be taking over Sue Clearwater's soon to be vacant position at the Women's health clinic. She is actually an OB/GYN and I've asked her if she would be willing to take on a patient that is very special to me."

I let out a breath as I say, "so you want the sister I never met who was raised by the father who never gave a fuck about me or my little brother to deliver my child? Hell I guess anything is better than Sue."

Bella strokes my face lightly as she says in a low soothing tone, "Sam, honey I know you're hurt. I can't even imagine how I would feel knowing that Renee had raised another child when she couldn't be bothered to raise me, but it's not her fault baby. She was alone and a child in foster care. Your father probably would have left her to rot if it wasn't for the wolf gene issue. You can't take your anger at him out on her baby, that's not you Sam."

Sighing because I know she's right I bury my face in her neck and rub circles on her stomach as we sit there in silence. I concentrate on the various heartbeats tuning them out until I can focus on that low hummingbird sound that is the baby's heartbeat. I listen to it intently breathing in Bella's sweet scent and composing myself.

I can't change the past and I would not trade the years with my mother for any amount of time with my father. He had chosen to leave me when I was 5 years old without a backward glance. He had chosen to leave Embry's mother pregnant and alone, he had never known that his youngest child had grown up to be practically his spitting image.

Embry all of a sudden laughs out loud as he says, "Oh man! You really dodged a bullet Sam! You should wait on Bella hand and foot for the rest of her life for making the Cullen's leave when they did! Can you imagine if LEAH had Phased? Sharing a pack mind with her? Oh my God…"

I groan because I can just imagine the cluster fuck that would have come out of that situation. Bella smacks him upside the head and Billy tries to hide his smirk. Getting a hold of ourselves I ask Billy, "Billy about the meeting tomorrow night?"

He holds a hand up and says, "You'll find out tomorrow. Let's just leave it at everything will resolve itself. Sam if you really aren't comfortable with Christine being Bella's doctor I do have one other suggestion."

I wave him off, as I say, "No it's fine Bella is right. Christine didn't ask for Joshua to abandon us all and only come back for her and she's also right that if the world were normal and we were all just regular guys he would have probably left her to the foster care system. B's next appointment isn't until the second week of March, which gives us a few weeks to get to know her and see how comfortable we feel with seeing her professionally."

Bella groans all of a sudden and I feel a sudden pang of nausea from the connection as she hops off my lap and runs into the hall bathroom. Charlie who had just sat and listened quietly gets up and goes after her.

A knock at the door signals Jake's arrival as he comes in and sits down with us. I look at him and he says, "So do you feel like the luckiest fuck on the planet that the Cullen's left when they did or what?"

Em and I laugh again shaking our heads as I say, "Oh fuck yeah man. I don't even want to imagine what it would have been like to have her in the pack."

He nods and then turns serious, "Are you guys okay? Really? I mean hell of a curveball about your father and all."

Embry and I both brush him off as I tell him, "Fuck that Jake. Josh is a sperm donor, simple as that. The one man who is the closest thing I have to a dad is in the bathroom with his daughter, my wife, holding her hair back while she pukes."

Embry nods and says, "My mom has always done her best to be both mother and father. Sam has been like a dad but cooler because he's my brother and Charlie has always made sure that I know that I'm welcome to join him and Sam fishing and that he's here if I ever need anyone to talk to about stuff that maybe I'm not comfortable talking to mom or Sam about. I am looking forward to getting to know our sister though. I would probably at least give Josh a chance to explain his side of the story."

I nod grudgingly, "I'm looking forward to meeting her too. I just hope that her phase is not yet inevitable but it may well be, only time will tell."

Billy tells us he will see us all tomorrow night at the council meeting and that he wants at least 4 wolves along with Bella and Charlie at the meeting before saying goodnight as Jake helps him out of the house and into their truck.

**A/N: Okay, cutting this chapter here. Okay so first off MAJOR credit to reader/reviewer Noin37 for being my sounding board for this chapter, and for all her help she named Sam and Embry's sister! Thank you so much for the help Noin! Secondly, I know a bunch of you suggested bringing Carlisle back for Bella's medical needs but in the end I just couldn't see it so I'm sorry to disappoint any of you that were hoping for a Cullen return but it won't be happening in this story. I'm on a bit of a roll with this story now so hopefully another chapter will be up before Thursday this week! Leave me some love or even some hate if you hate the direction I'm taking lol!**


	34. What To Do About the Clearwater Family

**Disclaimer: Stephanie Meyer owns Twilight and all recognizable characters and situations contained therein. All original characters and situations contained in this fic are MINE! As always story is rated M language and lemons ahead, you HAVE been WARNED! **

****The next evening around 6:30, Sam POV****

Walking into the house after a long ass day, I smile as I hear Bella's steady even breathing in the bedroom, and smell what I think is my wife's excellent meat loaf baking in the oven.

I go through to the kitchen and see the note on the table, '_Sam, wake me up when you get in. –xX B'_

I check the oven quickly to make sure nothing is overcooking and then go through to the bedroom. The door is open and I stand there for a moment looking in at her peacefully sleeping face, and listening to the sound of her breathing overtop of the steady pulse of her heartbeat along with the low thrumming that is the baby's heartbeat.

Right here, knowing they are safe and protected in our home, I feel totally at peace for the first time in days. Crossing over I kneel next to her side of the bed and grasp her shoulder and shake it lightly as I whisper in her ear, "Wake up B"

I kiss her lightly before I say a little louder, "Bella, come on honey, you wanted me to wake you up."

Bella's eyes open with a little gasp, as she looks at me wide eyed for a moment before realizing it's me, and relaxes as she says, "Sam! You scared me honey!"

I smirk a bit as I lean in and kiss her forehead and say, "I'm sorry baby, your note said to wake you up when I got home."

She nods as she tells me, "I know, I was just having a weird dream. Come on everything should be done by now, let's go have dinner."

She pushes the covers back and I see that she's wearing a tight tank and a pair of tight little shorts. Taking in her body I see that her stomach is starting to soften just slightly, not enough to see through her clothes or even that anyone who wasn't as familiar with Bella's body as I am would ever notice, but it's there.

Smiling to myself I go back out to the kitchen and start taking the food out of the oven. In addition to the meat loaf she had made buttered carrots and mashed potatoes and had put them into the oven when she had gone to take her nap.

Bella comes out of our bedroom and takes out two plates along with two sets of silverware and sets them on the table. We sit down at the table and she makes me a plate before getting up and going to the fridge as she asks, "Sam, what do you want to drink babe?"

Jokingly I answer, "Scotch on the rocks honey, make one for you and the kid too."

She laughs and calls back over, "okay hon."

She comes back over to the table with a can of soda for me, and a bottle of water for herself. Bella sits at the table and we start to eat, I swallow the mouthful of food and ask, "Aren't you coming to the meeting? Billy wanted me to bring you."

She looks a bit startled as she says, "umm yeah I'm coming, I completely forgot that was today though, sorry. I'd like to know what Billy plans on doing to Sue and Harry too. Which wolves are coming with us?"

I think for a minute before replying, "The whole pack and Kim are going to be with us. Your dad is coming too. We have to be there in about an hour."

She nods and I know that I shouldn't ask but I can't help it as it slips out of my mouth, "Have you given any more thought to calling your mother?"

Bella freezes for a minute and I can tell she's searching for the answer and coming up with nothing. She sighs heavily and says, "I'll call her tonight when we get back from the meeting. It's only fair for me to sort my shit with my family before you have to concentrate on sorting shit out with yours."

I nod and give her hand a squeeze as I tell her, "Everything will be fine B. I promise you, okay? We're going to get this bullshit with the Clearwater's settled, and then I'll be right with you while you talk to your mom. Then on Saturday you'll be right there with me, as I meet my sister for the first time, and see my dad for the first time in almost 16 years. We're in this together B, don't forget that, whatever Renee says, it doesn't change who we are or the fact that **we** _**know**_ that we're forever and frankly her opinion really doesn't mean dick."

She smiles at me and says, "Thanks Sam. Surprisingly, that really does make me feel better, as long as you're on my side I know everything will be fine no matter what."

****Time skip still Sam POV****

Pulling into the parking lot of the meeting hall I park and grab the umbrella from the back seat of my truck and open it as I run around to open B's door. She's wearing a pair of yoga pants with a plain white t-shirt with my old zip up Rob Zombie hoody zipped up over top of it. It's from before my phase but only slightly and it still hangs down practically to Bella's knees.

Taking her hand as she starts to run I pull her back and say, "Don't Bella! It's pouring, and everything is slippery, the last thing we want is for you to fall! If you hold the umbrella I'll carry you."

Bella rolls her eyes but takes the umbrella and laughs a little as I scoop her up in my arms. She wraps her arms around my neck holding the umbrella carefully over both of us as I sprint across the parking lot and up the steps where Jared stands smirking at me as he holds the door open so that I can carry Bella through it.

She brushes her lips softly over mine before pulling back and saying, "Thank you baby. I think you can put me down now though."

Kim and J are laughing at me and I punch J in the arm as I say, "Just wait until it's Kim man, see how overprotective you get!"

He smirks and says, "Not for a while my friend."

I smirk back at him as I say, "Oh yeah? I thought that's why you were looking to move into the apartment above your dad's store? I mean you guys are already engaged, don't you want our boys to grow up best friends?"

Kim laughs, and J just rolls his eyes at me, as Bella speaks up, "Sam, you don't _know_ that the Bean is a boy!"

I laugh and set her carefully down on her feet as I say, "I know B, but I have a feeling."

She laughs and says, "Okay well just so you know that it's almost another 10 weeks before you'll be able to know for certain. They say typically the 20 week ultrasound is when they can determine gender providing the baby co-operates."

I stroke my hand over her stomach and lean down and whisper to it, "You make sure that you co-operate son, otherwise mommy is going to refuse to decorate your room in gender specific colors, and knowing mommy you'll end up with yellow walls. Even though every guy knows that _yellow_ is not really gender neutral."

Jared is cracking up and Bella is just looking at me in shock as Kim laughs at her expression and asks her, "What do you think B? Girl or boy?"

Bella bites her lip and replies, "I don't know! I've heard that morning sickness is worse with boys, and mine is pretty bad but I'm not living in the bathroom either, so I'm not sure."

Kim starts to say more but is interrupted by the door opening and Embry and Paul running in. The two of them shake off like dogs and I roll my eyes at them and bark, "Paul! Embry! Please do your best to act like adults in the meeting hall!"

They look down and both mumble out half-hearted apologies as Charlie comes in still wearing his Sherriff's uniform. He comes over and gives B a hug and touches her stomach lightly as he says hello to everyone.

I look around at everyone and say, "Well I guess we should all head inside, Jake and Quil should already be there as I'm guessing they came with Billy and Old Quil. Guys, you know what I expect from you."

They nod and we head into the Elder's meeting room. Harry is sitting at the table already and he looks annoyed as we all come in. I take my seat at the table and look out. The chairs are divided into two sections, the larger grouping on my side of the room is set up with 3 chairs grouped close together and the other 5 in a semi-circle around them, blocking them from the other side of the room. Bella, Charlie, and Kim take the closely grouped seats as the guys take the ones on the outside.

The door opens and Sue comes in with Seth and her face visibly blanches as she takes in Bella, Charlie, and the guys. She turns back to the door and everyone gasps as Leah walks in. She looks at me with that same look of adoration and love that she always used to and I frown at her and look away as Sue walks over to her and gently pulls her over to Seth by the small group of chairs on Harry's side of the room.

I see Jake and Quil come out of the back and quietly go to take their seats as Billy and Old Quil come to the table and Old Quil takes his seat while Billy rolls himself over to the table and calls us all to order.

It seems a bit like a trial and I'm a little confused as to why Leah and Seth are both here. I pay attention as Billy starts talking, "This meeting has been called to formally handle the situation that has been going on between the Clearwater family and the Swan-Uley family in the last 5 months. Unfortunately all attempts to handle this without council intervention have been unsuccessful."

He turns his attention to Seth Clearwater and tells him, "Seth, I'm truly sorry that you have to be here. Not only because the secret that has caused this rift is something you were not meant to be involved in, but because you have done nothing wrong, and it seems unfair that you should have to be included in this. So I want to tell you now that I apologize for any pain or inconvenience you are caused."

Harry speaks up loudly, "You make it seem like your mind is already made up here Billy. I thought my family was going to be given a chance to defend ourselves. I was under the impression that this was a trial, not a sentencing."

Seth and Leah both shout out, "TRIAL?"

Seth, Sue, and Leah all start shouting at once. Even with the wolf hearing all I'm getting is a jumbled assortment of lies and accusations from Leah and Sue overtop of a litany of shocked and confused cursing from Seth. Finally having had enough I stand up and use the alpha timbre to shout, "ENOUGH!"

My voice easily overlays the others, and the sheer authority in my voice is not to be argued with, and even Leah shuts her mouth. Billy catches my eye and smiles as he clears his throat, "Yes, thank you. As I was saying, Harry what explanations could your family possibly give? Sam is a protector of the tribe. When he didn't imprint on Leah he let her go so as not to hurt her when he eventually found his imprint. You know that there is no messing with an imprint! It's not possible, and you knew that when you told him to do the right thing and let her go. He agreed with you! Sam has done everything in his power to help Leah move on.

Why, at every opportunity, do you encourage her to hold on to him? Life is not fair, we all face disappointments, but you have not taught her how to deal with disappointment and that's your failing and you will have to be the one to fix it."

Harry looks livid that Billy is essentially calling him a failure as a father but he looks ashamed too so at least he knows that it's at least partially true. Billy turns to Leah and says not too unkindly, "Leah, why are you so sure that Sam is not happy with Bella? Has he ever given you ANY indication of that?"

She looks at him defiantly and says in her haughty tone of voice, "He told MY mother!"

I can't even hold my tongue and I blurt out loudly, "I never told her _**anything**_! She lied to you!"

Billy turns his attention on a pale and obviously shaken Sue and asks, "Did you tell Leah that Sam told you that Sue?"

She stutters out, "Y, y, Yes, I did. I'm sorry, but you don't know what it's like! **You** didn't have to watch _your_ daughters every dream for her life's future be ripped away from her in an instant! _You_ didn't have to watch _**your**_ child's heart break into a million pieces! He may as well have killed her Billy! She's barely the same girl she was 2 years ago!"

Billy breaks in angrily, "That's your own damn fault woman! If you hadn't kept feeding her the delusion that it was breakable, that it would never happen, that even though it had he wasn't happy and wanted it to be her. If instead you had helped her grieve and helped her move on instead of keeping her holding on to the past maybe she would still be the girl you remember Sue! This whole situation is just disgusting and I'm sick of it being taken out on people who really have nothing to do with it!"

He turns back to Harry and says, "Harry you have barely spoken to Charlie since the night we told him about the imprint, and you had glowing things to say about Sam at that point in time! What the hell changed? Is it just that it set in that it was real? That Sam and Leah were really over and never going to be together again? I mean please if you have an explanation for what you and your wife have done I really do want to hear it." 

He pauses for a moment and as Harry starts to open his mouth to say something Billy continues on, "There is no explanation that you could give that would make it okay Harry. I'm sorry but I warned you that there would be consequences if I had found out that you were telling Leah council secrets that involved the Pack, and specifically Sam and Bella. You have continued to flat out disrespect and disobey my specific instructions. As Chief of this tribe I could have you banished from the lands of our ancestors. Cast out from our people! That is not an order that I WANT to hand down, but you have put me in between a rock and a hard place Harry!"

He pauses and takes a drink from the glass in front of him before turning to Sue, "Sue! What would EVER possess you to give out privileged patient information from the clinic? You know how seriously the government takes doctor/patient confidentiality these days! I had no choice but to bring a complaint to your supervisors at the clinic. Bella told them that she wouldn't bring a lawsuit against them or you personally so long as you no longer had access to her files, but even so they have chosen to let you go and they'll be filing a formal complaint against you with the licensing board."

Leah looks livid as she screams at me, "Sam why are you letting them do this? Why are you lying for that tramp who trapped you!"

I've more than had it now and I end up screaming at her, "I'M NOT THE ONE LYING LEAH! Your **mother** LIED to you when she told you I told her whatever it is that I supposedly told her. I can't even bring myself to say that garbage! I LOVE Bella! She is my wife! I know you've never been really up on the old tribal customs Leah, but do you even know how the mark is administered? It has to be done while the couple in question is having sex! Use your common sense for once in your life Leah! Do you really think that Charlie, who you have known your entire life and who is a notorious hard ass, would have anything to do with ANYTHING that happened while his daughter was having sex with me?"

She blanches and I see the wheels turning and she turns to Sue with a look of betrayal on her face and asks, "He's telling the truth, isn't he? He never told you anything like what you said he did, did he?"

Sue looks ashamed as she looks at the floor and shakes her head, she looks up at Leah and says, "I'm so sorry honey. I shouldn't have lied to you. I just, I didn't want you to hurt anymore. I wanted you to be happy. I'm sorry Leah. I thought that if you just didn't think it was his choice but that it was done that you'd be able to move on."

Leah just shakes her head and turns to Harry as she asks, "What about you Dad? Was any of what you told me true? Did you really strong-arm Sam into breaking up with me? Did Billy and Charlie _**really**_ force him to accept the imprint after he imprinted on Bella? Did he _**EVER**_ try to fight it like you said?"

Billy and Charlie both scowl at him as he shakes his head sadly. Leah turns her hurt and betrayed face on me as she asks, "Why _**not**_? Did I really mean so little to you? Did all of our hopes and dreams mean nothing to you? Why did you accept all of this so readily, Sam? Was I _**not worth**_ fighting for?"

Confusion, hurt, and anger are warring inside of me. I can see how it looks. In Leah's context it looks like I just threw her over without a second thought. Like I had used her and then thrown her away with the first convenient excuse. Bella looks at me and I can see it plain as day that Leah's comments had shaken her. She looks at me with pity and I can feel her doubt as clearly as if it were my own. She doubts us, and that more than anything pisses me off; have I ever given her any reason to doubt my love for her? Given her any reason to doubt my commitment to her?

I snap my eyes to hers and I know that she can feel my anger and hurt. She lets out a choked sob and runs from the room before anyone can even think to stop her. Jared and Charlie get up and follow after her as I clamp down on my emotions and say to Leah in a clipped and angry tone, "Leah if imprinting had come as a surprise and we had still been together when it happened, I probably **WOULD** have _tried_ to fight it. I'm telling you right now Lee Lee that that is one fight I would have LOST no matter how hard I fought!

How would you have felt then? I either would have dumped you shortly after it happened, and then jumped right into a relationship with Bella, or eventually worst would have come to worst and we would have betrayed you in the worst way possible! Would that have been better? Do you really think that would have been kinder?"

****Jared POV****

Shit, I finally find Bella in the ladies room of the Meeting Hall, she's sobbing leaning against the sink and rubbing her stomach. She looks up as I enter and bursts into fresh tears. I go over and wrap my arm around her shoulder and ask her, "Bella why are you so upset? What happened?"

She sobs on my shirt for a minute before taking a deep breath and saying, "I felt him. When she said those things to him. He felt hurt and angry! Then he looked at me and he was feeling those feelings towards me! I know it doesn't make sense, but the Mark, it makes me feel the things he feels. He was angry at me, he was hurting that he had to be with me. How am I supposed to feel about that J?"

I shake my head and I tell her, "No, you're wrong Bella, you have to be. I'm not saying you didn't feel what you felt, but you're taking it out of context! Just because he was looking at you doesn't mean that he was feeling those things about you. I know that the mark is powerful, Sam talks about how he can feel you all the time! He says it's distracting sometimes but that he LOVES being so connected to you! He loves you Bella! He's my best friend and he tells me everything, trust me, if he had some crazy underlying feelings for Leah Clearwater or some crazy underlying resentment towards you for being his imprint I would know and he doesn't have any of those things! I know that right now your emotions are all over the place but you need to calm down take a deep breath and remember that you're the one that Sam chose, YOU'RE the one he Marked, the one he proposed to, the only one he WANTS! He loves you so much B. Don't let a nasty psycho bitch like Leah fucking Clearwater ever make you feel otherwise!"

I'm about to say more when Charlie comes in. Bella runs over to him and he wraps her up in a hug and asks her, "You okay Bells? I thought you were having a nausea attack, why are you crying honey?"

She looks a little embarrassed as she says, "it's nothing Dad, just my hormones. My emotions are everywhere and I can't help but feel bad for Leah, I can't even imagine how she must have felt."

Charlie consoles her for a minute and then seems to realize where he is and looks extremely uncomfortable as he says, "So we should probably go back in there huh?"

She nods and we go back to the meeting.

****Sam POV****

Leah is looking absolutely stricken after my last comment and she is about to snap back when the door opens and J and Charlie come back in with Bella. J nods at me as he sits down and I'm glad that he must have been able to calm her down fairly quickly.

Billy starts talking but is cut off by Seth Clearwater standing up and shouting, "WILL SOMEONE PLEASE EXPLAIN TO ME WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?"

Billy sighs and turns his attention to Seth as he says, "Seth, what do you remember of our tribal legends?"

He thinks about it and snorts out, "Werewolves and vampires? Be serious!"

Looking around at all of our dead serious faces it starts to sink in that no, we are not joking, and yes this is for real. He takes in me and the other guys and it's like something clicks. He sinks back into his chair looking pale and sick as he stammers out to himself, "It makes sense. 16-year-old boys looking like full-grown men. Sam disappearing like that 2 years ago, and then coming back and dumping Leah the way he did. How they're all so committed to their girlfriends when most of them haven't even known each other let alone been together that long."

He looks up at me and asks, "You really think you couldn't have fought it? If you had still been with Leah when it happened?"

I shake my head and look at Bella as I say, "I would have tried but I WOULD have failed. I never would have even had a chance, Seth. As it is I'm sorry for Leah's pain but she has had 2 years to move on. She ruined her relationship with Paul's cousin George by holding on to something that had been long since over. I would not trade Bella for anything; she completes me in ways I didn't even know I missed. I love her, and our baby, more than anything else in this world and I would do anything for them."

Seth nods sadly and then looks suddenly fearful as he asks, "Wait, why am I being let in on this secret now? I'm not going to…"

He breaks off and Harry and Sue look fearful, probably thinking that if he phased we'd make his life a living hell because the only thing they can judge others by is their own behavior. I roll my eyes at them as I say, "No Seth, you're not going to phase. The Cullen's thankfully moved on before they could affect a change on more than who you see here, had they stayed however it would be a different story."

He looks relieved and surprised at the same time and he sits back as Billy takes over again saying, "Yes well you were lucky enough to dodge the bullet Seth. Unfortunately we're letting you in on this now because there are hard choices to make and I feel like you have a right to know why they are being made. I must impress upon all of you just how important secrecy is when it comes to these kinds of things. Harry, you and Sue have proven yourselves to be un-trustworthy. To the tribe, and worse, even to your own children! What do we do now? I've warned, I've pleaded, what more can I do? Harry, you have given me no choice, I'm sorry old friend but I remove your status as tribal Elder."

Billy turns to look at Sue as he says, "Sue, you have lost your job and will probably lose your license to practice. There's really not much else I can do to punish you."

By this time Sue is sobbing into Seth's shoulder and he looks uncomfortable at the display as he comforts her. Billy then turns his gaze on Leah and says kindly, "Leah, I'm sorry that you had to learn the truth this way. I'm sure that it was embarrassing and painful for you, and I'm sorry, but you had to be told."

She nods and says, "I understand Billy. I promise I won't bother Sam anymore. I'm going to go back up to Makah permanently I think if my Aunt and Uncle will let me stay with them until I can get an apartment up there. It's better for me; there are too many memories here. I'll be closer to my cousin Emily too, she's always been pretty much my only friend besides Rachel."

She stops and turns to look at me again as she says, "Sam, I'm so sorry for everything. I hope that one day I can wish you well and mean it. As it is I hope that you do get everything in life that you ever wanted. I will always remember you and what you meant to me. I'm sorry that things couldn't be different for us."

I just nod and look down not quite knowing what to say to all that. Harry has been sitting stunned and silent since Billy told him he was finished on the council. He finally snaps out of it and looks at Billy with anger as he says, "Now wait just a minute! There has ALWAYS been a Clearwater on the Quileute Council! I will not let you dismiss me this way Billy!"

Billy gives him this look and says, "Harry, I'm the Chief of this tribe. That means I make the choices, and I'm sorry but you have no one to blame but yourself. As it stands the next step is banishment. I really DON'T want it to come to that Harry but rest assured that if you push me it WILL! You've been my friend for a lot of years Harry and I can't believe the stuff I have been witness to in the last few months. You had better believe that if you step out of line again I will banish your whole family from La Push. If you think I'm joking than go ahead and continue on the way you have been."

Harry huffs and shouts, "If you think I'll continue to live here after this you are out of your mind! I'm going to move my family up to Makah and I hope it makes you all feel good to know that you have driven us from our home. This whole sentencing has been a JOKE! The Black's and the Swan's best friends for generations! Is it any WONDER that you're taking Charlie's daughters side over mine? This is a farce and it's all Bella Swan's fault! I wish the fucking Cullen's had drained her!"

He glares at Bella and the growls that erupt from the throats of my brothers and I easily cover up Charlie's shouts of outrage. I watch my brothers as they form a wall around Bella, Kim, and Charlie. Harry rolls his eyes and throws his hands up in disgust as he shouts, "Of course! God forbid anyone say anything that might upset the little pregnant girl! Fucking disgusting, the Alpha of the pack imprinting on a white girl, your illegitimate brother imprinted on a paleface too didn't he? Christ, your father was a whore of a man, but he at least stuck to knocking up his own kind! Are you going to leave before the kid is born? Or wait a few years and then leave?"

As I lunge for him, I shout out, "You son of a bitch!"

I make it halfway across the length of the room when I crash into Embry and Paul who grab me and pull me back as all I can see is red and I have no idea how I'm still human other than the thought of Bella being here and not wanting her to watch me kill a man. Paul puts a chokehold on me though he's careful not to actually cut my air supply off as he growls in my ear, "Forget him man! This is what he wants! Don't give him the fucking satisfaction Sam!"

Embry joins in telling me, "He's right Sam! Harry is baiting you! He knows that being like Dad is your biggest fear and he's playing on that! Don't let him play you big brother! Our girls are fine! So what if they're white? That doesn't mean a damn thing! He's jealous bro, that's all, he wanted it to be Leah and it wasn't!"

I'm struggling to break free when I see Bella break through Jared and Jake she comes right up to me and strokes her hand lightly down my face and whispers soothingly, "Shh, it's okay Sam. Just calm down baby, he's not worth it!"

I concentrate on the feel of her hand on my face, the electrical current flowing between us as she strokes my face gently. Finally I get myself back under control and I relax in Paul's grip. He asks me seriously, "Can I let you go Sam? You back in control of yourself now?"

I nod and he lets me go. I sneer at Harry for a moment before turning dismissively and walking with Bella back to her chair. Billy clears his through and says, "Harry, you leave me no choice. You are banished from La Push, Sue and Seth may stay to put your house on the market and move your things but you must leave immediately. Sam will assign 3 of his boys to follow you back to your house and help you pack what you need for the immediate future and then they will follow you to the border. You are no longer welcome on Quileute land. I am sorry Harry, but you really did not leave me any other option here."

Harry is staring at Billy in stunned silence as Sue bursts into tears again. Seth is goggling and after a minute he asks, "Billy, do I have to go? I know that some of my friends' parents would let me stay with them if they knew the situation. I wouldn't tell them details, just that my parents were moving and that I didn't want to go."

Billy considers for a moment and tells him, "If you can find someone to let you stay with them before your mother moves and they agree that you can then that's fine. You're only 14 Seth, if your mother and father don't agree you have to do what they say."

He nods glumly and Billy gives me an expecting look, I nod at him as I say, "Jared, Paul, and I will escort Harry. Jake, I want you, Quil, and Embry to stay with Bella, and Charlie until I get home if you could."

Jake and Quil nod as Embry replies, "Definitely Sam. We'll look after them."

J goes and gives Kim a kiss as he tells her, "Go with Bella and them, I'll come back with Sam and we'll go home from there."

She nods and goes over to stand with Bella and Charlie by the younger guys. I go over and give Bella a kiss and tell her I'll see her at home and watch her walk out the door before turning my full attention back to Harry who is having a hushed conversation with Sue about where he's going to stay. They agree that he and Leah will go back up to Sue's sister's place in Makah and that he'll call her tomorrow.

**A/N: I'm stopping this chapter here because it was getting super long and I actually cut off a lot more writing but that means that the next chapter has a good start on it so it'll be up faster! I wanted to get this up yesterday but I think only being a day off of when I wanted is actually pretty good considering. Also, I want to take a minute to thank everyone who reviewed for the last chapter! It was the most reviews on a single chapter so far I'm pretty sure! I'm sorry that I didn't get a chance to respond to anyone, I hope you all know that I really do appreciate every review that you guys leave! Keep on leaving the love! ~DGS**


	35. Joshua and Christine Arrive

**Disclaimer: Stephanie Meyer owns Twilight and all recognizable characters and situations contained therein. All original characters and situations in this story are mine! As always story is rated M and does contain material not necessarily suitable for people under the age of 18. There is a lemon in this chapter so just know that you HAVE been WARNED!**

****Short Time-skip Bella POV****

We get back to the house and I make coffee for Kim and Dad and ask the guys if they want sodas. They're tense and it's making me edgy so when they decline the drinks and go outside I actually sigh a little in relief. I look at Kim and I ask her, "Kim what's their deal? I mean, they're acting like there's a leech or something!"

Kim laughs a little and waves me off as she answers, "They're just feeling a little edgy because of how Harry lost his shit at the meeting. With him being banished and Sue still being on the Res I can almost guarantee you that Sam will have them step up patrols just to make sure he doesn't come back and try something and that the other two psychos don't either, though I gotta say I think Leah will eventually be fine, it seemed like it finally struck a brain cell that he really doesn't want her."

She pauses to take a drink of her coffee before continuing, "Anyway, you're carrying the Alpha's first pup Bella; right now your safety is the highest priority of every single one of them. Not that the safety of all of us isn't the most important thing to our guys all the time, but now with the baby it just takes it that much farther. Sam has had a wolf running patrol around you at all times since he found out. When J told me that I asked him if that was really necessary and he told me that if it were me, he'd want the same. That God forbid there was an emergency he'd want one of the guys to be able to get to me as soon as possible."

This brings back the conversation from when we first got to the Meeting Hall and I ask her, "So are you and J going to try? Did you decide if you're moving yet? I feel like we haven't really gotten to talk lately what with me being all pukey and things just moving really fast around here."

She laughs a little, and we sit down in the kitchen as Dad has taken over the living room to watch ESPN. I nudge her with my elbow a little and say, "So?"

Kim shrugs and says, "Well we're definitely moving into the apartment above the store until we can afford to buy a house. I told him that once we've moved in together we can start planning the wedding ceremony. I know that he really isn't interested in it but I want us to have the traditional ceremony, I think that if we don't that we'll regret it in the end. I know he doesn't want a big thing though and frankly neither do I so it'll just be our immediate family, the Pack and the Imprints, and the Elders. I know that the guys have been talking about having a double reception sometime during spring break so I think we'll do our ceremony either a few days before or a few days after you guys do yours and then that Friday night we'll do a potluck reception with just the Pack, Imprints, and our families. That's if you want to do that of course."

I grab her in a tight hug and exclaim, "Of COURSE I want to do that! Sam and I had been talking about wanting to do something like that since we first got engaged back in December. I'm just happy that you want to do it!"

We laugh for a bit and I ask her, "So what about trying for a little one? I know that apartment is a 2 bedroom. Or are you going to try to wait until after you've bought a house?"

Kim shrugs, "Honestly we're kind of going with the flow right now. I threw out my birth control last month but we're not actively trying you know? Jared wants to mark me but he's a little worried about how Sam will take it."

I raise an eyebrow at her and say, "What? That's silly! The only reason we made such a big deal about it after we found out I was pregnant was so that no one else was caught by surprise the way we were! I mean Embry was probably only a few make out sessions away from losing control and Marking Angela. It definitely would have been a problem if all the younger girls started turning up pregnant right after I did. People would have thought we had made some kind of crazy pregnancy pact like those girls in Massachusetts 3 years ago! Sam just asked him earlier about you guys having kids, J Marking you would probably speed it up some."

The front door opens and I look up over the counter to see Sam and J come in the door. Sam nods at Charlie before following J into the kitchen and coming to stand behind my chair. He brushes my hair off my neck and kisses my mark. I catch J's eye and clear my throat and his eyes widen as he catches my meaning and I smirk as he blurts out, "I want to mark Kim, Sam. Is that okay?"

Sam is looking at him like he's grown a third eye and he teasingly tells him, "Gee I dunno Jared. You should probably ask Kim if it's okay with her. Why would you ask me that man? It's a choice between you and her, you don't need my permission man."

Jared looks unsure as he says, "Yeah but that meeting…"

Sam laughs and shakes his head, "Dude, the only reason we did that was so that no one was caught unprepared the way we were! You and Kim, you guys are solid! You've got a good job and it's going to get better."

Jared cuts him off, "What do you mean it's going to get better?"

Sam shrugs and says, "Well, I've been thinking of putting in a couple of bids for some bigger jobs around the res and up in Forks, I've also thought about making a formal foreman position and that would definitely be you J which means better money and more responsibility. With the Cullen's gone and the fact that we haven't had any sightings around the area lately I think now's a good time for us to go back to a more normal life. We'll still patrol of course, especially with Bella being pregnant and Sue and Harry being batshit crazy I don't think we can stop right now, but once the problems with them have passed we can cut way back."

Jared nods and Sam continues, "As far as the marking goes you guys are fine whenever you want to do it. That meeting was more about Embry, Jake, Quil, and their girls then about even Bella and me. Embry was like 2 heavy-duty make out sessions from it going too far. What the fuck would he and Ang do with a kid at 16? I don't even want to think about the shit storm that would rain down if something like that happened to Quil and Claire, her parents would go berserk!

Jared looks relieved and he thanks Sam before leaning down to whisper something in Kim's ear. She giggles and Sam sits down beside me and wraps his arm around me. Kim finishes up her coffee and she and J say goodbye.

Dad comes in from the living room and sits down at the table with us. He looks at me a bit worriedly as he asks, "So, you're going to call Renee?"

I sigh and gesture as I say, "Yeah, bring me the phone?"

Dad brings the phone over and I take a deep breath as I dial Renee and Phil's number in Phoenix. After 2 rings a woman answers but it's not Renee, "_hello?"_

I pause confused before saying, "I'm sorry, is this the Dwyer residence?"

The woman laughs before answering, "_It sure is, how can I help you hon?"_

I look at Sam to confirm that he's hearing what I'm hearing and he nods as I ask, "I'm looking for my mom, Renee Dwyer."'

She laughs and says, "_Oh, of course, hold just a minute please."_

Letting out a breath I didn't know I was holding I say OK and hold for a minute before Renee picks up, she slurs her words a bit as she asks, "_Bella? Is that you hon?"_

I groan a little to myself because I know that tone of voice. She's fucking drunk and I know that this is a bad time to have the discussion that we need to have. I take a deep breath and say, "Yeah mom, it's me. I have some news for you."

She completely ignores me as she launches into a story, "_Oh, honey! I'm so happy that you called! Phil and I just got back from Aruba, and oh we had the best vacation ever! Honey next time you have to come with us."_

I can feel my patience running out as I break in, "RENEE! Damn it, I'm trying to tell you something important!"

She hisses a little as she says, "_Don't you take that tone with me young lady. Not even 2 years with Charlie and he has you talking to me like I'm nothing?"_

I break in, "Dad has nothing to do with this conversation Renee. Maybe if you ever listened to me, instead of going on and on about yourself, Phil, your travels, and your money you would know that! I don't even live with Dad anymore, hell I don't even live in FORKS anymore!"

That seems to goose her attention and she asks, "_Then where the hell are you living Bella? You're still in high school for God's sake! Did you drop out?"_

I exclaim, "No! I didn't drop out, I live in La Push now, Dad does too but we don't live together. I'm living with my fiancé, Sam Uley, I've told you about him 10 times Renée."

She laughs and retorts, "_Your fiancé? How far along are you Bella? Is that what you called to tell me? What do you want? Money to have an abortion? You're not getting it from me. I knew from that shit you pulled before we sent you to Charlie that you were out of control. You live your life whatever way you want Bella, but don't come crying to me when your fuck ups catch up to you."_

I feel Sam's anger and outrage as well as my own and I snap back at her, "I don't want a damn thing from you! Sam and I are _**happy**_ that we're having a child, everyone is happy for us! Well everyone but you it seems and really I could give a shit what you think! You act like you're so much better than everyone and really you know something, all you have ever been is a second rate wife and a third rate mother. Dad's been more of a parent in 2 years than you were my whole damn life! Sam and I are getting married next month, don't worry, you're not invited. Our child will be born in September, and don't worry we don't want you here for that either! Christ, I didn't even want to tell you about any of this for this exact reason. I am done with you! For real, don't send me a big apology gift in 2 months or whenever it is you sober up because I don't want it. You are dead to me!"

She sniffs and replies bitchily, "That's just fine with me little girl, truth be told I was never so glad as I was to have an excuse to send you to Charlie. He's such a great parent? You didn't get knocked up on my watch now did you? Enjoy being stuck on the Res with a man who probably barely makes minimum wage."

She hangs up before I can reply, and I hand the phone back to Sam and snap at him, "You see why I didn't want to tell her? 'Oh Bella you have to tell her! Give her the opportunity to prove you wrong! Maybe she'll surprise you Bella, how do you know if you don't give her a chance!' See how great it worked out Sam? Are you happy now? I'm staying over at Dad's tonight."

Sam is just gaping at me like a fish out of water and I take the opportunity to storm out of the house. I hear dad following close behind me as I storm up the steps into his house and flop down on my old bed in the guest room that he had set up for me.

I feel the tears dripping down my face as I lay there and after a few minutes I feel the bed dip slightly and I can smell Dad's aftershave as he rubs my shoulder and says, "Bella-girl, I'm sorry honey. I know you were hoping that she'd be happy for you. I'm sorry that she disappointed you baby girl. It's not Sam's fault though honey."

Stubbornly I tell him, "It is his fault! If he had listened to me I wouldn't have had to call her. I told you both that it would just be a waste of time and I was right!"

He sighs and says, "Yes Bella, you were right. I'm sorry that you were right honey. You don't know how much I wish you'd been wrong. That she could have been happy for you because she's your mother, and unfortunately she's the only one you'll ever have. Do you really want to let her cause problems for you and Sam? You and I both know she's not worth that."

It's my turn to sigh because I know Dad's right. She's not worth it, and it's not Sam's fault that she is the way she is… the tears are coming harder now and after a minute Dad's aftershave is replaced with the smell of Sam's cologne as he lifts me in his arms and cradles me like a child as he rubs my back and says, "shh, Bella baby it's okay. Don't be sad honey. That bitch isn't worth your tears baby. I'm so sorry that I made you call her. I know you really aren't mad at me B."

He pulls back and wipes the tears away and says, "Come on honey, come home with me."

I smile weakly back at him as he scoops me up and carries me towards the door. Dad waves at us shaking his head a bit as he shuts the door behind us, I snuggle into Sam's chest as he carries me in through our front door, pausing to lock it behind him, and on into our bedroom.

He lays me down on the bed and slides in next to me wrapping his arms around me. I turn to face him and ask, "Sam, you don't think that I'll be like her do you?"

He shakes his head smiling as he replies, "Shit, baby-girl you couldn't be like that bitch if you tried! Think of it like this, if you were gunna turn into that, would the Spirit's have had me imprint on you? I think not."

I smile at him a little because he definitely has a point. Sam pulls me close and brushes his lips gently over mine. I make an approving noise in the back of my throat and lean closer in to him as he kisses me deeper. I rub my hands over his broad shoulders and down over his chest as he takes the kiss deeper, sliding his tongue over mine and rolling us over so that I'm straddling him.

Sitting up as he slides his hands from my hips up under my t-shirt he rubs my stomach gently before streaking up to tease my breasts through my bra. His hands come back down and he grabs the hem of my tee and takes it off up over my head. He's staring at my chest and I ask him, "What?"

He laughs a little as he replies; "I think it's time to go shopping again honey."

I look down and see what he's saying, shit I need new bras again! I laugh a little and his eyes glaze over as he stares. Still laughing I reach back and undo the clasp letting the straps fall down my arms. I sit there holding the fabric in place as Sam reaches up and takes my hands and gently pulls them away.

Sam slides my bra off and tosses it aside before arching up and taking one of my super sensitive nipples into his mouth. He gently sucks it as I moan I'm not sure how he knows that I need him to be gentle right now but I'm glad that he does.

Moaning I grind my hips down and he arches up against me as he tears his mouth from my breast and lightly grabs a handful of my hair and drags my mouth to his. I suck his lower lip into my mouth and gently nibble it as I grab his shirt and pull it up over his head breaking the kiss only momentarily to get his shirt off.

Tossing it away as he scoots up a little. Sam pulls me close and sucks lightly on my mark and I moan loudly. He flips us over again and he kisses lightly down my chest and over my stomach. Sam plants small kisses all over my lower abdomen as he gently pulls my yoga pants down my legs, he gets down by my feet and pulls off my sneakers and tosses them onto the floor before pulling my pants off and throwing them aside.

Sam takes hold of my legs and slowly but firmly streaks his hands up the length of them; he kneads my thighs sensually as he moves to plant kisses along the edge of my panties where my hip curves. I moan and shiver a little as I lay back with my eyes closed just feeling him touching me.

He spreads my legs a bit settling between them and lightly ghosting his fingers over my pussy through my panties. I moan and arch my back as I feel myself pumping my hips trying to get more pressure.

****Sam POV****

Bella rocks her hips and I teasingly move my hands away, I squeeze her thighs gently massaging them as I rub my hands slowly up and down. She whimpers as I ghost my fingers teasingly over her panty covered pussy.

I dip my fingers under the fabric and move them slowly up till I'm underneath the side straps. Bella's eyes are glazed over with lust as she arches her back and I pull her panties down her legs.

I get them off and toss them to the floor before leaning in and blowing lightly over her slit. I run my fingers teasingly over her just brushing them lightly over her outer lips as she moans and pumps her hips.

Bella spreads her legs wider and I dip my fingers in between her lips feeling how ready she is as she moans out, "Sam, please."

Spreading her open I lay my tongue flat against her opening and swipe it slowly up to her clit. She arches her back and cries out as I circle my tongue around it fast at first and then slow as I gently insert two fingers inside of her.

Bella pumps her hips and I catch her rhythm pumping my fingers in long slow strokes as I suck lightly on her clit. She's moaning out my name and I speed the pace up a little until I feel her tighten around my fingers and she screams out my name.

I wipe my face off before kissing my way back up pausing at her breasts to take one of her hardened tips into my mouth sucking it gently before continuing up to her lips. She wraps her arms around my neck as she locks her lips to mine, sucking on my lower lip as she wraps her legs around my waist and I slide slowly inside of her.

We moan into each other's mouths as I thrust fully into her. I disconnect from the kiss pulling back to see her face, her eyes are unfocused and her mouth is open as she moans breathily as I pull slowly out. I'm almost all the way out before I start slowly thrusting back inside.

She squeezes her muscles and I feel her tightly around every inch of me as I build up a slow steady rhythm as she moans and pants my name out.

I put my arms under her back and flip us over so that she's on top. Bella moans as she sinks down onto me and gets into her own slow rhythm. I catch her movement so that I'm arching up as she's grinding down and I streak my hands down to her hips holding them tightly as I guide our lovemaking.

I'm close and I know she is too as I rasp out, "Touch yourself B, I want to see you play with your breasts as I make us cum. I love you Bella."

Her hands move to her breasts and she rubs them softly capturing her nipples lightly between her fingers as I pump her hips up and down faster along with my own as she moans out, "Ohh Sam. I love you. Feels so good."

Three long hard thrusts later and she tightens around me as she screams out my name as I moan out hers and spill my seed inside of her. Bella collapses onto my chest and I wrap my arms around her as she kisses my neck and drifts into sleep.

I turn on my side and settle Bella against me letting myself drift into that place between waking and sleeping as I catch the rhythm of her heartbeat weaving into and around the heartbeat of our child growing inside of her and I feel completely at peace; The Cullen's are gone, Leah and Harry are up in Makah, Sue will be leaving the Res soon. I have my girl, we have our Bean, and life is good.

****Time-skip Saturday 7am still SPOV****

Saturday dawned overcast and grey as my mood, I lay awake listening to the hummingbird wing sound of my child's heartbeat mixing with the soft beat of Bella's and feeling her soft breath against my neck. Bella had gone shopping yesterday and had brought enough food to feed a small army, she planned to invite Joshua and Christine to lunch if everything went well and she had one of her feelings that it would.

In the grand scheme of things there were many days I would not ever forget, the day that I phased for the first time July 27th, the day my mother died, November 5th, the day I met Bella September 15th, the day I proposed to her December 23rd, the day I found out she was pregnant and that I was going to be a father February 5th, and now the day that I'll meet my sister for the first time and the day that I'll see my father for the first time in 16 years February 19th.

Groaning a little as I gently lift Bella's head off my chest and place it on a pillow as I sit up on the edge of the bed with my head in my hands. I feel nauseous and a little shaky as adrenaline pours through me.

Am I feeling Bella? She didn't even wake up early in the morning to go puke! I think at 11 wks into her pregnancy the morning sickness is finally starting to ease up a little, which can only mean that this is me, wow. I think the last time I felt this out of control and scared was during my first phase when I had no clue what the fuck had happened to me.

Bella comes up behind me and rubs my stomach as she looks at me questioningly and asks, "Sam? Honey, are you okay?"

I nod as I take a deep breath and she wraps her arms around my neck reaching one down to rub my stomach again as she says, "It's okay honey. Everything is going to be fine! Even if it's not, baby I'm with you, Embry and the guys are with you, and even Charlie and Billy are with YOU! I have a feeling that everything is going to be just fine. You know how I get feelings; well I have a good one about this. It'll probably be hard at first but I think it'll turn out good."

She stops talking and just rubs my stomach as she holds me. I match my breathing to hers taking slow steady breaths and she laughs a little and says, "See, that pregnancy book was good for something!"

I laugh a bit and pull away taking her hand and kissing it as I tell her, "Yeah I guess so. How're you feeling baby?"

I turn around and place my hands on her stomach as she shrugs and says, "I'm a little queasy but not nearly as bad as it usually is, and I'm actually really hungry at the same time…"

Laughing I rub her stomach and whisper down to it, "I'm glad that you're being a little easier on your momma Bean, she really needs to be able to eat so that you can come into this world strong Son."

Bella scowls at me a little as she says, "No matter how nauseous I was I always managed to eat something Sam! Your Son may be a daughter you know, you can't keep just assuming it's a boy until we know for sure, and we won't be able to know for certain for another 9 weeks."

I wrap my arms around her shoulders and lean in and brush my lips gently over her pouting ones and I feel her melt into me, as a smile curves her lips. She pulls away and tells me to go in and take a shower while she cooks us something for breakfast.

Smiling at the thought of food I go into the bathroom in my boxers. Looking in the mirror I take stock of my features, clear silver grey eyes that came from my mother, my nose and cheekbones were the same as Embry and my father's, I was a pretty good mix of both sides. My mother used to tell me I took the best of both her and my dad, and that I was better looking than either of them on their own.

Thinking about my mom hurts, falling into a depression after she died wasn't even an option. I had to be strong; I was Alpha Wolf after all. I had to worry about the house and my business and then 4 months after that Jared had phased and I had training him up to add to my plate.

I'm thinking about her today thinking about the man who left us both behind. I can't even remember a time when Josh Uley was part of my life; I mean I'm sure he had to have been at one time. I had pictures from when I was an infant up to when I was 2 or 3 of him holding me, and he had looked proud, and happy. There were pictures of him and my mom together and sometimes I would look at one and compare it to a picture of Bella and I and I can't even see the difference, they looked in love, truly. So what had happened?

My earliest memories of my father were of being disappointed by his absence. When I was 4 he got the job with the power company. That year he missed my birthday, my first day of kindergarten, and by the time school let out he was gone for good. I remember hearing my mother cry at night and wondering why we weren't good enough.

When I had gotten with Leah there had been times when another girl would try to talk with me but I'd think about what my father had done to my mother and I and any temptation I felt would disappear in the anger I felt towards him.

Leah, and indirectly my father had been the cause of my phase, I had been feeling sick and feverish for the last month, I hit what I thought was a late growth spurt and girls were falling over themselves to talk to me. Understandably it had pissed Leah off something fierce.

I had been having what I thought was a friendly conversation with a girl who I had had Spanish with in my senior year at LPH when Leah came up and started flipping shit. We had fought all the way back to her parent's place and I had stormed off through the woods to go home. When I had checked my phone later I had a message from Leah telling me if I was going to be like my dad and run off whenever things got tough that we should end it now. I had gotten so pissed at her for comparing me to my father that I had phased.

I finish up in the shower and go out into the bedroom drying off on the way. I pull on a pair of old jeans and grab a shirt on my way into the kitchen. Pulling the shirt on as I walk into the kitchen, I feel a shot of lust from the connection to Bella, and I smile as she hurriedly turns back to the stove as I look up.

I walk up behind her at the stove and brush the hair off her neck and kiss her mark. She turns and kisses me quickly before going back to the pancakes on the stove. I go and sit down as she brings over a platter of pancakes and puts 6 on my plate and 2 on hers.

I look at her a bit questioningly as she hands me the syrup and I ask, "Are you sure? I can take them over to Charlie's if you want me to B."

She laughs and says, "No, I want to have breakfast with you, and I'm really hungry so I think I'll be okay on the syrup."

I take the syrup from her watching her put butter on her pancakes out of the corner of my eye as I open the top on the syrup. I pour it out over my pancakes watching Bella as I do. She looks fine though as I finish up and start to eat and I smile to think that maybe we're past the puking sick stage of her pregnancy.

We eat quickly and I collect the dishes from her as she goes in to take a shower. I'm doing the dishes when Embry comes in my back door. He's wearing the usual uniform of cut off shorts, a tee shirt, and a pair of work boots against the bitter February cold, and he looks as scared and nauseous as I feel.

He drops into a chair as I put the last of the dishes into the dishwasher. I dry my hands and clap one onto his shoulder as I say, "How you holding up Kid?"

He laughs nervously and replies, "Probably about the same as you. Are you ready for this?"

We were meeting our dad and sister at the Council Meeting hall at 10am. It was just going to be Embry and me, along with Bella, Charlie, and Billy. Today's meeting was mostly to deal with our family issues; Pack issues would be handled after everything else was sorted out.

I sigh and tell him, "We really don't have a choice, what with her beginning the change we have to meet with them, figure out what our options are, where she is in the change and how we should monitor her to find out if it slows or stops."

He nods and Bella comes out of the bedroom in loose pants and a t-shirt that ordinarily is a lot looser in the chest than it is today. I had noticed last night just how much Bella's body had actually changed, her stomach was still flat but it was softer and just the slightest bit thicker in her lower abdomen, her chest was the most changed thing about her at this time and I can't say that I was upset about it. Not that Bella had been lacking in that department before the pregnancy, but they were definitely affected.

I notice Embry staring at her and I cuff him up the back of the head. He shakes his head and says, "Sorry Sam, I didn't mean anything by it, she just caught me off guard."

I laugh and Bella rolls her eyes. She's pulling on her 8 eye docs, and sighing as she says, "Yeah, I know, I need new bras and shirts, but I refuse to buy new shirts now when I'll just have to buy them again when my stomach starts catching up with my boobs."

She grabs her long black coat from the coat rack by the door and pulls it on buttoning almost all of the buttons up the front. I toss Embry the keys to my truck and he goes out to warm it up so that Bella doesn't have to get into a cold car in this weather.

The winter has been cold and mostly rainy but the last few days have been grey, overcast with angry dark clouds, but disturbingly dry, the weather reports were calling for snow, and I had a feeling we were going to get walloped. The drop in atmospheric pressure was making the wolf edgy, our instincts were screaming at us to take shelter, and stay there. Joshua and Christine picked a hell of a weekend to move in.

They had actually moved in yesterday to be here for the meeting today. I wonder if he's nervous, if she is. Does she know the whole back-story? Bella touches my arm and says, "You ready baby?"

I take a shaky breath and nod, I'm as ready as I'll ever be I guess. Bella walks hurriedly to the truck and gets in the passenger side as I get into the driver's seat. Embry is in the back looking about as nervous as I feel. I paste a smile to my face and catch his eye in the rearview as I say, "You ready kid?"

He gulps and nods and I drive us over to the meeting hall. Charlie had gone over to Billy's this morning and I saw the cruiser in the lot along with a small Nissan 4 door with Alaska license plates. I park in one of the closest spots and shut the truck off.

Getting out I go around and open Bella's door for her as Embry gets out of the truck on my side. I help her out, and she wraps her arm around my waist as I slip an arm around her shoulder, and we walk into the building.

Charlie meets us in the foyer; he comes over and gives Bella a big hug as he touches her stomach. They break apart and he nods at Embry and me, "Son, Em, how you guys holding up?"

I shrug "As well as can be expected I suppose. Honestly I just want to get this done with so we can all go back to some semblance of normalcy."

He nods and together we all move into the meeting room. Charlie and Embry sit down with Bella in the free seats by the front, I lean down and kiss her forehead brushing my hand lightly over her stomach as she smiles up at me reassuringly. I smile back at her briefly before turning and without bothering to look around the room, moving to take my seat at the Elder table.

Billy is already there and he smiles kindly at me as I hear a gasp. Looking around I see my father. He looks much the same but older, his black hair is short and there is a lot of grey shot through it, there are more wrinkles on his face, and he looks smaller somehow, but then again I'm no longer 5 years old so I guess that's to be expected.

He looks from Billy to me and breathes out the word questioningly, "_Alpha?_"

Billy looks at me expectantly and I guess it's my turn to talk, "Yes, I am Alpha. I was first to phase. Billy's son has also phased but he has chosen not to take over the role, he says he will be Chief, I will be Alpha, and that's the way he thinks it is meant to be. Joshua, it has been a very long time since we have seen you on this land. I think that we should get some necessary introductions out of the way before we do anything else."

I turn to Embry who is looking at our father and the woman at his side with quiet interest and I say, "Embry, little brother come up here please. He comes and stands off to the side and I take his hand comforting him as I say, "Joshua, this is Embry Call. He is your youngest son."

Joshua is staring at Embry and I know that it's like looking into a tricky mirror for him. At 16, Embry looks much the way Joshua did at 25. Joshua takes a breath and says, "I'm glad that I have gotten a chance to meet you my son. Sam, I know that you must be very angry with me son, and I want you to know how much I appreciate you letting me bring Christine here. I appreciate what you are doing for your sister."

I nod letting the edge into my voice a little as I say, "I'm not doing it for you. I would appreciate it if you would just call me Sam. I think we, as the children you abandoned, deserve some explanation. I am giving you the opportunity now to explain yourself."

Embry brings a chair up and sits off to the side of me so that we are on the same side of the table. Joshua looks very uncomfortable and he looks at Bella and Charlie as he says, "I'll be glad to give you an explanation Sam. First though, I'd like to ask who these other people are."

I smile at Bella feeling the tension flow out of me, as I get lost in her eyes for a moment, I clear my throat and say, "The woman is Bella Swan, she is my imprint, my wife by the old tribal customs, and she is carrying my child. The man with her is her father, Charlie Swan. He is the Forks Chief of Police. They are my family and this affects them as well so you will give your explanation to all of us."

His eyes get misty as he asks, "you mean, I'm going to be a grandpa?"

I feel my gaze harden as I snap a little, "Well I'm going to be a dad, and I guess you will be about as much of a grandfather to my son as you were a father to me."

Bella frowns at me slightly and I shake my head at her. She of all people should understand how hard this is for me, why I wouldn't want to take the chance of Joshua becoming close with our child only to have him take off again and hurt my son.

He clears his throat and says with a bit of plea in his voice, "Sam, son, you don't understand. I know that that's my fault because I never took the time to explain it to you. I left to protect you, all of you. I was a danger to you. I know that you don't remember Sam, you were so young, and Embry wasn't even born yet. His mother would know though. I didn't run out on Kay, she found out about my problems and she kicked me out. I think she told everyone that I ran out on her because it was kinder than the truth. The truth was I was an alcoholic, and a cocaine addict."

I feel the shock on my face as he takes a deep breath and continues, "There was an incident Sam, shortly before I got the job up in Makah. It was actually the reason I took the job up in Makah. You were at the sitter, your mother and I had gone out to the bar, I got falling down drunk and blew a couple of lines. Up till that night I thought I was maintaining, I thought I was in control of it. Your mother saw the powder on my nose and it ended in a fight. I beat her. Tommy Tompkins saw me hitting her in the parking lot, and he intervened, kicked the shit out of me truth be told. I had had the offer with the power company and was going to turn it down because of the travel involved and not wanting to be away from you. After the incident with Samantha though, I took it. I never wanted to hurt her again, I never wanted to take the chance that I would hurt you, I love you so much Samuel, I just wanted you to be safe from me."

He stops and takes a deep breath before continuing on, "When I moved up to Makah your mother would let me come home on weekends to see you if I was clean. It just got to a point that I was never clean so I never showed. I met Kay and I lied to her about my life. She knew I drank a fair bit but I kept my other demons hidden well. When she told me she was pregnant I lost it. The guilt I felt over abandoning you, having an affair on your mother, coupled with knowing that I was putting Kay and my unborn child in danger, I just lost it. I went out and partied hard, I ended up overdosing and I almost died, one of the people I was partying with called Kay and she came and picked me up and took me to the hospital. When the doctors told her what I was on she was LIVID, she had a right to be. She had just told me she was pregnant and I had gone out and gone on a binge. She flipped, told me to get the fuck out of their lives and never come back, that she would tell my child that I had left, she wouldn't tell him or her that I was an addict but that I was not going to be a part of their lives anymore. If I'm honest, it's exactly the reaction I was hoping for, for her to run before I could hurt her or the baby, the only thing I asked was that she move down here and raise the baby with the Quileute teachings. I knew she would find out about you and your mother Sam but I had to do what was best for the child. I knew the legends to be true and it was just too big a chance to take."

Embry looks like he's about to burst into tears and I can feel myself shaking I have no idea what I would have done in that situation, I would hope that I would have the decency to take myself out of the equation the way Joshua did, that I wouldn't stay and beat on my wife and child. I let out a shaky breath as I say, "It helps to know that you had a reason Joshua. That you did not just throw us away like trash, what about Christine though? What was your reasoning for leaving her mother?"

He looks down and says, "Nadine and I just didn't work. We were so young when we married, I didn't even know she was pregnant when she divorced me. I don't even know if she knew at the time. We just went our separate ways, I bummed around Seattle for a year before coming back to La Push and she stayed up in Tahola, I never saw her again. After I left Kay I went back to Seattle, I bummed around, kept to myself mostly. I thought about you every day Sam, how much of your life I was missing, the fact that I never even knew if you had a brother or a sister. When Nadine's friend found me I was at rock bottom. I was literally trying to drink myself to death. She told me that Nadine had died two years prior and that my 12yr old daughter had been put into foster care. Knowing what I know about our bloodline I was fairly certain that she wouldn't phase but I couldn't take the chance of her being in foster care and it happening if the stories proved wrong and women in fact COULD phase. I went to rehab, cleaned myself up, and took custody of Christine. I told her about you Sam, and that I had another child that I didn't know. She begged me to come back to La Push but by that time I'd been gone for 2 years, I didn't want to just show back up in your lives and hurt you more. You had your mother's and I didn't know if they had remarried or what, I didn't want to just show back up and disturb their lives any further than I already had. I did what I thought was best for everyone and I'm sorry that I hurt you both. I was messed up, and I just wanted what I thought was best for you both. I've missed so much of all three of your lives, please, I don't want to miss any more. I know that neither of you have any reason to believe me but I'm here because I love Christine, and no matter if you boys believe me or not I love you both so much. I'm not asking either of you to forgive and forget, but I'd just like a chance to prove myself to both of you that I can be there for you. I've been clean of drugs and alcohol for the last almost 14 years; I'm not the same man I was back then, please give me a chance to prove it to you both."

I turn and whisper to Embry so low that only he, and possibly Christine can hear, "How do you feel?"

He sighs and whispers back, "I don't know Sam, it really seems like he's sincere, but can we trust him? What if she doesn't phase? Who's to say that if she doesn't phase that he won't just leave again?"

I whisper to him, "Good point but at the same time I don't know, I feel like we should at least give us a chance to prove us wrong. I mean I tell Bella all the time to give her mother a chance to prove her wrong, if I don't give Joshua the same chance what does that say about me? I don't want my child to have a hypocrite for a father, that's another thing though, how can I chance letting him in my child's life and taking the chance that he runs off again and hurts my baby?"

Embry whispers back to me, "Call him on it Sam. Tell him our concerns and lets go from there."

I nod and turn back to face my father, but instead address my sister for the first time, "Christine?"

Her face snaps up and I take in the weirdness of our familial connection. She has the same nose and cheekbones that Embry and I share but Embry's green eyes and the rest of her face I assume came from her mother's side, as I don't recognize the other features. She answers, "Yes?"

I smile at her kindly and ask, "Did you hear any of what Embry and I said to each other?"

She shakes her head and I say, "Okay, that gives me an idea of how far into the phase you are. The process generally takes about 2 months with enhanced sight and hearing coming at the end of the first month. I assume you've grown an inch or 2 and that your temperature is a couple degrees hotter than normal?"

She nods and I turn back to Joshua, "Joshua, what if she doesn't phase? Will you be leaving again then? Embry, and I are willing to give you a chance to prove that you want to be in our lives, but we need some assurances. First off I need to know that if you're here, you're here for the long haul. Don't come in here and make us have a relationship with you, and potentially make my child have a relationship with you if you're just going to bail out again. Don't do that to my family. If you can promise me that, then we're willing to give you a chance."

His eyes light up and he nods his head as tears stream down his face and he says, "I swear to you, my boys, I'm not going anywhere! Whether Christine phases or not we're here for the long haul! I want to have a relationship with you both, I want to watch my grandchildren grow up. I missed watching my own children grow up; I don't want to miss anything else. Thank you my boys for giving me the chance to prove myself to you."

Turning back to Christine I say, "What about you? Do you want to know us? I know that you've been thrust into this world with no warning, you're a doctor, and you're older than the rest of us, it will be harder for you. If you don't phase will you stay, or go?"

She considers for a moment and says, "I want to know you, and I've always wanted to know you, both of you. If I don't phase I'll still stay because I want to get to know my family. I would hope that we could get together and talk in a less formal setting. I'd like to get to know your family as well."

Nodding I say, "Okay, well, here's what I think we should do. Christine, I'd like you to keep a chart of your height, body mass, and temperature over the next week and a half. If you notice any change in your sight and hearing let me know. That will let me know whether or not your phase is still continuing even though you are away from the trigger. Our vampire traffic has become pretty much non-existent over the last couple of months after Bella had a conversation with a couple of the Cullen's so if you continue to change we know that once started it cannot be stopped."

She gasps and says, "Your Bella is Dr. Cullen's sons old girlfriend?"

I nod and reply, "Yes, she is, is that a problem?"

She shakes her head, "No, it's just a little shocking. He had his son going to therapy to work out his issues with her breaking up with him. Trust me I had a good laugh when Dad told me what he was. To think he needs therapy over my sister in law is just amazing."

Bella is hiding her smile behind her hand and Embry and I are cracking up at this revelation. I shake my head and say, "Unbelievable. Well, Bella is pretty unforgettable, if she had dumped my ass the way she dumped Cullen's I probably would have needed therapy too, I guess I'm just lucky that I get to keep her forever. Umm, well I guess that's all the meeting we need for right now."

Bella clears her throat and catches my eye and I say, "Yes dear?"

She stands and says, "Um, I just wanted to invite everyone over to our home for coffee, and lunch, it'll give us all a chance to talk in a more relaxed setting."

Christine smiles at her and Joshua looks surprised as his eyes flick to me and he says, "Well, thank you Bella, as long as it's okay with Sam we would love to come."

I shrug and say quietly, "It's fine, we'd be happy to have you. Do you remember where the house is?"

He looks shocked as he answers, "You still live in the same house?"

I nod, "Yes, when mom passed away she had enough insurance for me to pay it off with enough left over for me to get my contractors license and get my business off the ground. Why don't we all head over there."

I pause and turn to Billy and say, "Billy, you're welcome to join us as well."

Billy shakes his head as he replies, "Thanks for the offer Sam but I think I'll just have Charlie run me home real quick, my body aches something fierce and I'm sure that storm is going to hit soon."

Charlie gets up and goes over to Billy and I say, "You're going to come over after you drop Billy off, right dad?"

Charlie smiles at me, and replies, "Of course, you keep an eye on my girl for me Son, don't let her overwork."

I nod and he wheels Billy out of the hall. Embry and I walk over to Bella. I take her hand and we follow Joshua and Christine out of the hall. I have to say that I really had my doubts about this whole thing, but Bella was right the way she usually is. I was glad I had given Joshua a chance to explain. I could only hope that he did right by us all.

**A/N: Okay so cutting this off here because this is by far the longest chapter so far. I just couldn't cut it off until they got all the way through the meeting at least. There's a poll on my profile because at this point I'm still not sure about whether or not Christine is going to phase or not and I'd like to get the readers opinion so do me a favor and answer the poll! **


	36. White Out Pt 1

**Disclaimer: Stephanie Meyer owns Twilight and all recognizable characters and situations contained therein. All original content in this fic is mine! The poll is still open on whether Christine will phase or not so get your votes in, I can't guarantee whether or not the poll results will end up being what actually happens but you guys know that I do put stock in your opinions, so let me know how you feel. **

****Short time-skip BPOV****

As soon as we walk into the house I excuse myself to go into the kitchen and turn on the coffee maker before I start getting the food out of the fridge. I had bought a bunch of premade food, sandwiches and some salads and other deli food because even though the morning sickness had finally started to go away, I just couldn't shake how tired I'd been.

I start setting the sandwiches out on platters and I'm almost done with that when Christine comes into the kitchen. She's a beautiful girl tall and lithe with a pretty face, long black hair, the same piercing green eyes as Joshua and Embry, and the same nose and high cheekbones they all share.

I smile at her welcomingly, and she seems shy as she asks, "Can I help with anything Bella? You shouldn't be doing anything too strenuous."

I laugh a little and reply, "You can help me _pretend_ I actually cooked today if you'd like! I brought a bunch of premade food from the store yesterday; I'm just so tired lately. Billy told us that you're an OB/GYN?"

She nods as she comes into the room fully and starts putting food out on trays and in bowls. She looks me over quickly and asks, "So how far along are you?"

I smile as I answer, "11 weeks. The nausea is just starting to fade off a little."

As I say that she opens a container of tuna salad and the smell wafts over, my stomach turns and I choke out, "Spoke too soon, excuse me!"

I hurry to the bathroom and lean over the toilet heaving up the remains of my breakfast, as Sam comes in behind me and gathers my hair up as he strokes my back comfortingly. I finish and lean back on my heels a little as I take a deep breath. Sam looks a little worried as he says, "I thought we were done with this?"

I laugh a little and say, "I guess I'm not that lucky yet. It's normal baby, I just found a new trigger is all."

Charlie pokes his head in and asks, "Bella, you okay?"

I nod and give him a thumbs up, and he smiles and heads back out. I rinse my mouth out quickly and Sam and I head back out to the kitchen. Taking a tentative breath as I step through the door Christine smiles at me as she says, "Don't worry, I got rid of the offending tuna salad."

I smile back at her and reply, "Oh, thank goodness! I'm kind of disappointed, I really was looking forward to being done with the puking!"

She nods and says, "It'll fade off soon enough. I'm starting at the clinic on Monday, when is your next appointment?"

Yawning a little, I say, "excuse me, the nausea faded some but the fatigue is still going strong. My next appointment is March 10th. You're going to be my doctor right?"

She nods and then asks, "I had heard that you didn't want to see the old PA anymore but why couldn't you have seen another doctor there? Not that I don't want to see you as a patient I just wondered what the reason was."

I place my hand on her arm and she gasps, "You're running a fever Bella, I don't have my bag with me, I can go get it..."

I smile as I break in, "I'm not sick, really. I know you probably haven't had a chance to shake Sam or Em's hand but if you did you'd probably think they were dying, they run 10 degrees hotter than normal humans. I've been marked, Sam did it the night we got engaged, and one of the things that changed was my body temperature. It's not that bad, only about 3 degrees but if I went to a normal doctor who had no idea about this supernatural world that we live in, they would want to put me in the hospital to monitor the baby and me."

Christine nods at me and then tilts her head and asks, "marked?"

Oh, I should've realized she wouldn't know. I feel my face color a little as I answer, "Well, imprinting is how the wolf finds his soul mate, it's like every thing that connects them to earth fades away and the only thing that matters is the imprint. The wolf side of them has this urge to claim the imprint, marking is how they do that."

I pull my hair back and she gasps as she sees my mark for the first time. I admit it's strange to look at if you're not expecting it, it literally looks like a wolf sunk his jaws into my neck and then released, it's a series of perfectly shaped teeth marks. The scar tissue is hot to the touch from where he healed it with his saliva, and I know that to anyone outside of our circle it probably looks horrible.

She's just staring at it in shock and I can see her shaking minutely as she angrily chokes out, "Sam did _that?"_

I start to back up wrapping my arms protectively over my abdomen when Sam and Embry come rushing in. They stand in front of me studying her and finally Sam says, "I think it's okay, she's only shaking a little, she was very new to the change, I think she may actually have escaped it. We'll need to still do the monitoring I recommended to know for sure though."

Christine grits out through her teeth, "How can you both just stand there? Look at her neck! You savaged her, Sam! Do you beat her too?"

I break in, "No! He didn't! Listen, I know that this whole thing must be very confusing and I know it doesn't make sense because you've never been in my position but Sam has NEVER hurt me in ANY way! The wolf _needed_ to claim me; quite honestly it didn't hurt at all! I honestly don't remember being in any pain. I know that it looks ugly, but to those of us who know and understand what it means, it's beautiful. It's also the only way that my child and I would be considered as part of the tribe. I assure you, Sam has _never_, and _would_ **NEVER** hurt me!"

Sam puts his arm around my shoulder as he brings me close to him and says to Christine, "I love Bella, Christine. I would never hurt her. If you change you will understand, I'm not sure though. A female wolf is uncharted territory, there's no knowing if you would imprint, no knowing what it would do to your body. The change stops our aging. What that means for a woman, we can't be sure."

She takes a deep breath as she catches something that he's not saying and she asks, "If I stop aging that essentially means I freeze physically, which means I won't have a cycle. I wouldn't be able to have children?"

Sam looks away as he says; "We're not sure what will happen to you in that department. When a wolf finds his imprint he slowly starts to age and her aging if she is younger first speeds up slightly, and then slows down dramatically. How old do you think Bella is, Christine?"

Christine looks me over and says, "22, maybe 23? Somewhere in there."

I shake my head and say, "I only turned 18 in September, just before I met Sam. I'm a senior in high school."

Her eyes widen and she looks at Sam and says, "Dad says you're younger than me. 21?"

Sam nods and she says, "You look like you could pass for 27 or 28 at least. So the imprint, it put her age ahead so that she'd be closer chronologically to you? It didn't stop her aging completely though obviously because she's pregnant."

Sam nods again and says, "Yes well, the mark doesn't make her a wolf. The mark is what starts the wolf aging again though, but very slowly. When and if we are able to stop phasing our aging will start up at a normal human pace again."

She thinks for a minute, "So if I _do_ change, I'll stop aging until I find my imprint? Then if I mark my imprint I'll start to age again?"

Sam nods, "That is our assumption. Though as a female we're not sure if you WOULD imprint. In which case you would start to age again when you were able to control your phase enough to stop phasing altogether. It's very difficult; the wolf makes you edgy and irritable when you don't let it out enough and then you chance phasing in an uncontrolled setting. We could hear you getting upset; that's why we came in here. If you had phased and Bella had been close to you, it would have been **catastrophic**. She and the baby likely would have **died**, and then _I_ would have died."

She asks, "What? Why would you have died? I mean I understand what you're saying about Bella and the baby, and I'm sure that if something happened to them it would destroy you, but why would you die? Unless you're saying you would commit suicide."

Sam just takes a deep breath and explains calmly, "You don't understand. The imprint is what holds us to this earth; it's what calms us, what keeps us centered. The love that we have for our imprints, it's a force greater than gravity. If an imprint is killed, her wolf follows her to the afterlife. If Bella were to die, it would literally be like someone ripped my beating heart out of my chest, and I would die."

She looks at the way that Sam is holding me and I see that it clicks. She asks the question that I have been holding onto for a while myself, "What about the baby? What if God forbid, Bella died in childbirth, you would still die? What about the child?"

Sam thinks for a moment and says, "Honestly, I'm not sure, I think that may be the one exception though. The wolf is obviously very protective of his children, I think very young children would be the only thing that _could_ hold him to this earth if his mate were to die."

She nods and I go back to putting the food out. I get it all set up on the table and Sam and I head to the living room. My dad and Joshua are united in their yelling at the screen watching a hockey game. I clear my throat and my Dad looks over as he asks, "What's up Bells?"

I smile at him as I reply, "Lunch is ready."

Joshua gets up from Sam's recliner and gestures to it as he says, "Why don't you sit down here Bella, I can tell you're tired. I'll make you a plate."

I yawn even as I try to tell him I'm not tired. Laughing I concede, "Thank you, I would really appreciate that."

He smiles at me and it's Sam's smile, familiar but different. Dad smiles at me and says, "You make sure you're not overdoing it Bella. That's our grandson you're carrying!"

I groan as I slap my hand to my forehead and say, "Not you too, Dad! You know that none of us _know_ for sure that it's a boy! Just because Sam assumes that Bean is a boy, doesn't mean you guys have to hop on the bandwagon!"

Charlie snickers and says, "I dunno Bella, Sam's pretty sure that it's going to be a boy. He says he can feel it."

I sigh as I reply, "I'm sure he feels what he feels, I'm not saying he doesn't, I just don't want you guys to get your hopes up and then be disappointed if your grandson turns out to be a grand**daughter**."

Dad scoffs, "Bella I will be happy either way, because girl or boy, that baby will be coming out fishing with Daddy, Billy, Uncle Embry, and Grandpa just as soon as he or she can hold a pole. Can I get you a drink Bells?"

I ask him for a water and he goes in to get it as Embry and Josh come out with plates of their own and Josh says, "I tried to make you a plate and your husband took over, said he wanted to make sure you didn't get anything that might trigger your morning sickness. I defer to his knowledge because honestly the only pregnancy I was around for was when Samantha was pregnant with Sam and even then I was working a lot, so I was pretty useless."

I chuckle a little at that and say, "Sam's been there for everything so far, I couldn't ask for someone better. All this supernatural stuff aside, Sam is the best man I could ever have asked for."

Joshua looks uncomfortable as he says, "I'm glad that he's grown to be a good man, that he didn't make my mistakes."

Sam saves the awkward moment when he comes in with a plate for me, as well as one for himself. He sits down on the sofa near me, handing me my plate, as he asks Joshua, "So, you guys bought that little house that was for sale over by the beach right?"

Josh nods and replies, "Yeah, it's just the two of us for right now, and when your sister finds what she's meant for down here it'll be just me, so that little place was just right. What are your plans for this place? You guys will probably want to have more than just the one child, right?"

We nod and Sam answers, "I always assumed we would just add on here when the time came."

Josh sighs and he sounds wistful when he says, "Your mother and I always thought we'd add on here when we had more children. We actually talked about buying that vacant lot next door."

Sam shrugs, and his voice is awkward as he says, "We've talked a little about that. Obviously Bella has a lot going on right now with finishing school, being pregnant, and everything she does with our families. We're a little overwhelmed to think about it I guess, converting the first guest room into a nursery is about all we can think about right now."

Christine comes in and sits on the couch with Embry following close behind her. My dad comes in and hands me a bottle of water as he says, "I gotta get going for my shift Bells, thanks for the food baby-girl."

He gives me a kiss on the cheek and I get up and walk him over to the door. I open it and see that it's flurrying a little. Turning to Sam I say, "I guess you were wrong about the snow babe, it's barely flurrying out there."

He shrugs and says, "I guess you and the weather man were right. That's good though, you wont be stuck in the house."

Joshua speaks up, "So, you guys are really close with Bella's dad?"

Smiling as I cross to the recliner and sit back down, I answer, "My mom was never much of a mother, she's very self-involved, but my Dad more than makes up for her. I'm very lucky to have him."

Sam nods and says, "Charlie has been very good to me in the time that I've known him. We go fishing every weekend, weather permitting, Embry comes too."

He looks down and says, "Maybe, you could come sometime, if you'd like."

Embry looks at Sam surprised and says, "That'd be cool, Charlie always has beer and stuff, it's a good time."

Josh looks surprised as he says, "I'd like that, thank you boys, I really appreciate that you're willing to spend some time with me. Embry, you're a little young to be drinking aren't you?"

Em laughs and replies, "chronologically yeah, physically no. The wolf makes it near impossible to get drunk. I could chug an entire bottle of straight vodka and it would be like having 1 can of beer to a normal guy."

Christine looks thoughtful as she says, "That must be part of the elevated temperature, heightened metabolism? It burns the alcohol off almost as soon as you drink it. How many of you are there?"

Sam answers, "There are 6 of us. I was first, 2 of my friends Jared Tompkins and Paul Dixon followed within the next year, Embry just before I met Bella, Jacob Black just after I met Bella, and Embry's friend Quil was last."

Joshua asks, "Has anyone else imprinted?"

Embry takes this one, "Actually, we all have. My imprint's name is Angela Weber; she's actually a friend of Bella's from up in Forks. We do a big family dinner every Sunday night; you guys should come tomorrow and meet everyone. Though just to warn you Josh, my mom comes, she usually just stays for dinner though. She doesn't know about the wolf thing."

Christine asks, "What? Why not?"

Sam answers, "Secrecy is for the protection of not just ourselves, but our families as well. The only reason Josh knows is because of his father, the only reason _you _know is because of the circumstances. None of the rest knew what was coming, they were all told after the fact, and if you lived here it would be the same. If vampires knew who we were, they could target our families, our Imprints! Also, if we just told people what we were they would think we were insane, it would be a disaster!"

Josh shrugs and says, "I understand where you're coming from with the issue of vampires targeting those close to you, but it seems to me that a lot of people know and they don't think you're nuts. All the imprints, that's 5 aside from Bella who apparently didn't think you were insane. Bella's father was Chief of Police in the neighboring town and is now Sherriff down here and apparently HE doesn't think you're crazy. Jakes father knows, the other Elder's know, my guess is the only people who don't know are the other guys parents. How is that fair?"

Sam sighs, "Look, I will concede that it's harder for the guys who have to deal with their parents not knowing. Charlie was told because shortly after I phased we were having a problem with a vampire and Charlie thought it was wild animals killing people and leaving them bloodless. He was going to set traps. Billy told him about me so that I wouldn't be hurt. Then when I imprinted on Bella I told the other Elder's, and Billy sat Charlie down and told him about it so that he would understand about Bella and me."

Christine breaks in, "Okay, what about Embry's imprint? Do her parents know? What about the rest of the imprints? Do their parents know?"

Sam sighs again, "No, they don't. Look, I don't make the decisions about this. The Elder's told me who could and could not be told, so take it up with them. Billy Black told Charlie, even if he hadn't though Bella is 18 and a legal adult."

Embry speaks up, "It's really not a big deal Christine. Most of the imprints parents are pretty cool with the whole situation. My girl Angela's parent's aren't even native, but they can see that Ang and I have something more special than most kids our age, they've always been cool with us."

Christine nods and Joshua speaks up, "Your imprint is also non-native Em?"

Em nods and Sam asks, "Does that bother you?"

Josh looks a little offended, as he answers, "No, it doesn't. I just find it a curious coincidence. Did anyone else imprint on a non-native?"

The guys shake their heads and Josh smiles a little as he says, "Sam did you know that my line isn't pure Quileute?"

Sam shakes his head and says, "I never really knew much about your family. Mom said that even though you grew up here by the time she knew you your parents were deceased and you didn't talk about your ancestry much. She knew the general gist of it and that you were meant to be an Elder but that you didn't want it."

He nods, "Yeah, honestly my father was a hard man, he was very withdrawn and serious. I don't know the things he saw as a wolf but they must have been bad. I'm glad that things don't seem that bad for you. No one knows this outside of me but my mother was actually half white. She moved down here from Tahola with her father and brother. They were dating when my father phased and he must have chosen right because he never imprinted on anyone else. They never told anyone that she wasn't full native because they were afraid that the Elder's would make them break up. I just think it's funny that my boys are the only ones to imprint on non-natives."

Sam says, "My imprint with Bella changed the Pack. She made us immune to the mental gifts that some bloodsuckers hold."

Josh looks at me stunned as he asks, "How do you mean?"

I answer, "Edward Cullen could read minds. Everyone's but mine apparently. Mistakenly he thought that because my mind was closed to him that it meant I was _his_ mate. He showed up the night Sam and I got engaged when we were all at a club in Port Angeles. He couldn't read the guys minds, he said he used to be able to, and Sam had told me a story once about how Edward used to get offended by what the guys were thinking about. We think that when Sam and I imprinted, whatever I have that keeps me from Edward's abilities transferred to Sam and from him through the Pack mind to the rest of them."

Christine interrupts, "Pack mind?"

Sam and Em laugh a little and Sam explains, "When we are in wolf form we can read each other's minds. It's how we communicate with each other in that form."

Christine and Joshua look more than a little surprised but Joshua just shrugs and says, "I guess that makes sense."

The phone rings in the kitchen and I get up to answer it. Crossing to the kitchen I pick it up, "Hello?"

My dad is on the other end, "_Bella. Are Josh and Christine still there?"_

I tell him, "yeah dad, what's wrong?"

He chuckles a little as he answers, "_Look out your back door Kiddo. I just got done with the paperwork I was working on and looked out the window."_

I do what he says crossing over and pulling the blinds back from the sliding glass door and I see immediately what my dad is saying, "Holy shit dad! There must be 2 feet of snow out there! When did it start?"

He answers, "_It started coming down when I left your house. It didn't seem like it was coming down hard though. I guess that changed after I got here. But that out there is just what's come down in the last hour and a half or so."_

Letting out a deep breath I tell him, "That is _crazy_! Dad how are you gunna get home?"

He scoffs, "_Bella I can't go home now, I'm on duty. Don't worry about me; I had the snow chains put on the cruiser last week so as soon as the plows get out I'm good to go. I want you to promise me that you'll stay inside Bella, the roads are covered, and plows won't be out for a while. No one was on call because the damn weather reports said we were only going to get a dusting."_

I tell my dad that I promise and I tell him to be safe and he promises that he will and we hang up. I take a deep breath and look outside into the sea of quietly swirling whiteness. Dusting my ass!

I go back into the living room to find two very uncomfortable wolves. I know they both heard me and are just waiting for me to say something. I take another breath as I say, "Um, so that was my Dad. Apparently the snow has really started coming down since he left, the roads are all closed and he said it's going to be a while before plows get out."

Christine gets up and makes a beeline over to the door pulling back the small curtain in front of the window and she lets out a little high-pitched scream as she exclaims, "Oh my GOD! There must be 2 feet of snow out there! The weather man said we were only supposed to get a little!"

Sam looks out and says, "Wait, this isn't right. We should have heard from someone about this. Jared and Paul are on duty today, they would have howled, or phased back and called. Something is wrong."

****Sam POV****

Bella looks frightened now, fuck, I stroke her hair and hold her close as I say, "Don't worry baby, everything is going to be fine. Embry and I are going to call Jake and Quil."

I look at my father and my sister and they look worried, I want to reassure them but my immediate concern is the safety of my brothers. I take Bella's hand as I tell her, "Take my father and go get some flashlights and candles, chances are we'll lose power sometime soon if this keeps up. Remember, worst case scenario, you head for the crawl space."

She nods and kisses me before she gestures for Josh to follow her and I breathe a sigh of relief when he doesn't argue. I take my cell out and call Jake, who picks up on the third ring his voice low and sleep laden, "_Hello?"_

Fucking kid, "Jake! It's Sam, have you looked outside?"

He moans groggily, as he answers, "_No man, I didn't have patrol today so I slept in. I didn't have to meet Shanna till 4, why, what time is it now?"_

I feel my temper slipping and I snap, "It's like 2 in the afternoon Jake! There is 2 feet of snow on the ground, and it's practically a white-out out there, AND neither Paul or Jared have howled or checked in, in any way!"

Jake no longer sounds groggy as he exclaims, "_What the fuck do you mean? Jared and Paul are supposed to be patrolling around your place! Where the fuck could they be?"_

I nod to myself as I reply, "That's exactly what I'm wondering myself here Jake, I need you to phase in, get a report, and then call me **back**! Do not go looking for them Jake. If you phase and they aren't there you run straight here, do you hear me? Embry is in the kitchen trying to get a hold of Quil so get on it!"

He gives me an affirmative and hangs up the phone. I scan out the front window and see nothing out of the ordinary as Bella and my father come back into the room. Christine and Embry come in from the kitchen at the same time and none of them look happy.

Josh puts the candles around on the mantle and the table while Bella hands Christine a flashlight. Embry looks somber as I catch his eye and he shakes his head indicating he wasn't able to get a hold of Quil.

I walk over to him, leaning in angling myself towards him as I say, "What's the deal?"

He sighs as he replies, "No answer, I called his parent's place, and his cell phone. No answer on either line, but I think he said his parent's were out of town this weekend."

I sigh and say, "I'll try to call Jared's parents, maybe he forgot his cell phone and he's at Claire's."

I dial Jared's parent's number and his dad answers, "_Hello?"_

I try to sound calm as I say, "Hey, Mr. T, it's Sam Uley, I'm really sorry to bother you but I'm trying to get a hold of Quil and I'm not having any luck at his parents place or his cell. I was wondering if you could give me Claire's home number so that I can try to reach him there?"

Mr. Tompkins answers, "_Hey Sam, sure I can help you out, It's 555-8867. Say, you don't know where Jared is do you? Kim called me a couple of minutes ago. With the snow and all she wanted to make sure he wasn't working I think_."

I take a deep breath before answering, "I honestly am not sure where J is right now Mr. T. I'll try to get a hold of him and if I hear from him I'll have him call both you and Kim. Thank you for the number."

We hang up and I dial the number he gave me into my cell phone, praying that I find the answers soon. A man picks up, "_Hello?"_

I answer hurriedly, "Hi, Mr. Young? This is Sam Uley, I'm really sorry to bother you at home now, but I'm looking for Quil. Is he there?"

Hesounds very annoyed as he snaps, "_Yes, he's here."_

I roll my eyes a little and ask, "Would you put him on the phone please?"

I hear him grumble and then call for Quil. A minute later he picks up, "_Hey Sam. What's going on?"_

He drops his voice and says, "_I didn't have patrol today, man."_

Rolling my eyes I exclaim, "Christ Quil, have you even looked outside recently?"

I can almost see him shrug as he laughingly answers, "_Umm, sorry, no. Claire and I have been a little caught up. Her parent's have actually been really cool today, they haven't bothered us once."_

That's strange, and I know in my gut that it's not good. I try to sound calm as I start to talk too low and fast for anyone else who may be listening as I tell him, "Quil, I need you to leave Claire's place okay? Don't say goodbye to her parents, and don't let them know I'm telling you this okay? Go to the bathroom or into her room and leave from a window. If they ask why I called tell them I was asking you to take a job. This is very important. I haven't heard from J or Paul at all today and they're supposed to be patrolling around my house. Something is wrong. Go to Jakes, or come here, I don't care which, just get out of there."

He answers and I can hear the underlying worry as he strives to sound jovial, "Sam man I'm sorry, I really can't take that job this week. I have a couple of big tests in math and science and I really need to spend all my extra time studying. Thank you for the offer though; I hope you'll keep me in mind for future work. I'll talk to you later man, Bye."

He hangs up the phone and now I'm worried. I look around at everyone and say, "Come with me."

I take Bella's hand and the rest follow us into the bedroom. Embry starts to ask a question and I shake my head at him and continue through to the bathroom. It's the only room with no windows and a lock on the inside. We get inside and I shut the door, locking it as I say, "Something is really wrong. Quil is at Claire's, he said her parent's haven't bothered them once today."

Breaking off I look at Josh and Christine and explain, "I know that that doesn't seem like anything to be worried about, but if you knew Claire's parents you would understand."

Bella and Embry nod at them and I continue, "We haven't heard from Jared, or Paul, and with this weather they _would_ have checked in by now! Something is going on."

Bella starts to talk and my cell rings, she says, "Answer it."

I see that it's Jake and pick it up, "Jake, what's going on?"

Jake takes a deep breath, "_Sam! Jared and Paul are completely fucked up! I don't know what's wrong with them but they're phased, and they're geeking out! It's like they're on really hard drugs, like hallucinogens or something. Quil is with me, but we need you, and Em! We need to contain them until whatever they're on wears off!"_

I can't even contain myself as I rage, "WHAT DO YOU MEAN THEY'RE FUCKING **HIGH**?"

Jake breaks in, "_uh, I don't think they ingested whatever it is on purpose. They're freaking out because they don't know what's going on. I mean if they were rolling or something, and they knew what they were doing, don't you think they'd be calmer?_"

Motherfucker! I take a deep breath calming myself by finding Bella and the baby's heartbeats and concentrating on their proximity as I say, "You're right. This is fucked Jake. Something is really wrong. Someone drugged Paul, and Jared to get Em, and I away from here. Fuck, I _have_ to go. I'll leave Em here though. I'll see you in 10 okay?"

He tells me that that's fine and we hang up. I turn to find everyone staring at me, Bella breaks the silence, "What do you mean you **HAVE** to go? Why do **YOU** have to go? Why does anyone have to go? It's a goddamn **whiteout** out there Sam! No one will see them, and they're damn near indestructible! Stay _HERE_! **PLEASE**!"

I gather her into my arms stroking her hair, and talking to her softly, "Shh, shh baby girl, it's okay. Everything is going to be fine, I want you guys to stay in here until I get back with the rest of the guys. I think that this threat is half cocked. I think whoever did it wouldn't have been expecting the snow because no one was, whatever they were planning is fucked, unless it's a vamp we're fine."

She takes a deep breath and says, "But what if it _is_ a vamp? You're leaving us here with Embry and I'm not saying that Embry isn't as good as you I'm just saying that wouldn't you be better off staying here and he can go get Jake and them"

I sigh and Embry kind of rolls his eyes, I know he's not offended by what she said, he's just writing it off as a pregnancy moment. I tilt her face up so that I can look her in the eye as I tell her, "Baby, I need to go Alpha order Jared and Paul to phase _back_. In their mental state right now if the rest of us had to phase in order to protect you we would **all** be useless, they are out of their minds and you know what that means to the pack mind. I'm lucky that Jake and Quil were even able to phase back to call me! I love you Bella, but I have to leave you right this minute with my brother who I know loves you like you were his own sister."

Breaking off I turn to Em, "I want you in the bedroom. They lock this door behind you, and you guard it with your **life** Em. God forbid this **is** a vamp, I don't care who it is Cullen or no, rip it to shreds and burn it in the fireplace. I'll be back as soon as I can. They stay in the bathroom with the door LOCKED until I get back."

I turn to Joshua and Christine and sigh as I say, "I'm really sorry about this shit you guys, it's not normally like this though. Be safe, whatever Embry tells you to do, do it."

Christine nods and Joshua speaks up, "Be safe out there, son."

I nod and grab Bella and hug her tight, she pulls away slightly and I lean down as she stands on her tiptoes to brush her lips over mine. I trace my finger down the side of her face and say, "I'll be back before you know it Bell, I love you."

She whispers back, "I love you too Sam. Please be safe out there, for the baby and me."

I clutch at my chest jokingly and say, "ugh, guilt trip!"

Her eyes fill with tears and I stroke her hair one last time as I tell her, "It'll be fine Bella, I'll be careful, I promise."

I lean down and plant a soft kiss on her stomach before I turn, and Embry follows me out of the bathroom. I turn and say through the door, "Lock it Bella"

Hearing the click I level Embry with a serious gaze as I tell him, "My whole life is in that bathroom, little brother. Take care of them for me."

He nods, "I will bro."

I turn and make my way to the back porch. Stepping through the door I know that this is not going to be any 5-minute mission. The snow is falling in a blinding torrent, even with my advanced vision I can probably only see as well as a normal human.

The bitter cold cuts through me, and I shudder as I strip my clothes off. I throw them back into the house and shut the door behind me. Naked on my back porch I wade through the snow till I'm in the middle of the yard, shivering slightly I take a deep breath, and phase.

Shit, Jared is screaming nonsense and freaking out about things in the trees, and Paul is laughing uncontrollably. I feel nauseous and shaky, and I desperately need for this to end, '_**SILENCE!'**_

Immediately silence is what I get and I take a deep shuddering breath. They're both still running but they're staying together and I'm assaulted by their panic and fear. '_**Paul, Jared, I need you guys to calm down. I need you to stop, and open your eyes, so that I can try to figure out where you are!**__'_

They do what I tell them because the wolf, even stoned out of its gourd, cannot disobey the Alpha. They open their eyes and I look through them. Fuck, Paul is somewhere in almost complete darkness. With Jared all I can see is the blinding white of snow swirling all around, there is no way for me to tell where they are.

I throw back my head and let out an ear splitting howl.

Jake and Quil phase in, and Jake says, '_Sam? Holy shit, thank God they're quiet, Alpha order?'_

'_Yeah. Look I need you guys to help me find them! Looking through their eyes isn't helping, and we won't be able to track them by scent in this __**fucking snow**__! I'm going to Alpha order them to howl in 5-minute intervals. It'll be hard but we should be able to do it, and __**hopefully**__ do it fairly quickly."_

**A/N: Okay so I've been working on this chapter off and on and it's been giving me fits but I think it came along nicely. I apologize for the cliff hanger, I'm working on the next chapter as much as I can! Just want to take a minute to thank all of you who read and review! I really love to hear from you all! Thanks to everyone who has put this story on alert or favs too! I really appreciate it!**


	37. White Out Pt 2

**Disclaimer: Stephanie Meyer owns Twilight and all recognizable characters and situations contained therein. All original content in this fic is mine! Story is rated M and may contain adult content.**

****short time-skip Bella POV****

15 minutes. Checking my watch I see that that's exactly how long it's been since Sam's been gone. Christine is sitting on the back edge of the tub by the wall with her arms around her knees. Joshua is sitting with his back against the vanity facing the door, and I'm sitting with my back against the tub.

He sees me fidgeting and asks, "So, Bella, do you know much about Sam as a child?"

I know he's attempting to distract me and I take it gladly, "No, he doesn't remember much before you left, and it's hard for him to talk about his mom."

Joshua nods and I see the pain in his eyes and I ask, "You really loved her didn't you?"

He nods again wiping tears from his eyes as he answers, "I loved them both, more than anything, but I wasn't strong enough to give up the drugs. Samantha and Sam meant everything to me, and it terrified me that I could lose control the way I did with her. I was terrified to think that I could lose control with Sam that way. He was always such a happy, sweet natured kid. I knew he'd do something with building or construction, from the time he could toddle he was always following after me as I fixed something around the house. He loved for me to show him how things worked."

He takes a deep breath and continues, "I abandoned them both for their own good, and then I met Kay, and I loved her as well. In my heart of hearts though, I knew that what I was doing with her was wrong, I was still married and I had a son that I never saw. I couldn't tell her about them because then I'd have to admit why I had left them. In the end when she got pregnant I was just so sick of myself, and I started to self-destruct. I had already left one family to keep them safe from me. Knowing that I was leaving both my children with no father was horrible, knowing that it was better for them that way was worse."

I put my hand on his arm and I tell him, "Josh, honestly I think you did the right thing. I think Sam thinks so too, if he didn't think your reasons for leaving were good ones he would not have allowed me to invite you over here today. If he didn't deep down agree with the choices you made in taking yourself out of their lives he wouldn't be giving you an opportunity to be back in his life."

Embry interrupts and I jump a little as his voice comes through the door, "Bella's right, I can't speak for Sam, but I think that you taking yourself out of our lives at that point proves that you loved us more than even yourself. You could have stayed and let the drugs consume us all, beaten on our mother's in front of us, beaten on us. Some men prefer for their families to suffer along with them. If all you inflicted on us was your absence, I'm okay with that. I forgive you, Dad."

Josh has tears sliding down his face and Christine goes over to sit next to him. He puts an arm around her shoulders and she hugs him tight as he chokes out, "Th, thank you, Embry."

Embry makes an affirmative noise and I call out, "Everything clear Em?"

He calls back, "Yeah Bells, all quiet on the western front and all that. Honestly I think Sam was right, the snow probably ruined what was probably a well thought out plot, I'm sure whoever did it is kicking themselves right now that they didn't wait a week or so. Makes me wonder who'll get found stranded on the road when the plows go out."

I start to open the door and he calls out, "Keep it shut, and locked B. I don't want to face the wrath of Alpha Dad if he comes back to find that we disobeyed a direct order and put his mate and cub in danger."

Sighing I say, "But if the snow ruined their plan…"

Embry interrupts, "Better safe than sorry Bella."

****Time-skip Sam POV****

An hour, that's how long we've been running and looking for our brothers. Sixty minutes of running around in circles. Sixty minutes of hearing the ear splitting echo of their howls. Sixty minutes of flat NO luck!

Other than the howling they are silent, a fact that I am extremely grateful for. Jake and Quil flank me as we run deeper into the woods, most of our normal tracking methods are useless, the snow hasn't let up at all which means their tracks and scent are covered almost as soon as they are lain.

Finally I stop, the other two stop next to me and I think at them, '_Wait, let's stop for a minute you guys. I need to think. They've stopped running, they're howling, but there's something odd. When J and I were in high school, some of our other friends got their hands on a tray of hash brownies. They broke us off some and we split it amongst ourselves. They forgot to tell us they were giving us enough for like 6 people. J completely freaked and he ran off into the woods. I was honestly surprised he could walk. When I came down a bit I went looking for him, I need to remember where I found him."_

Thinking back I've almost got it when the howls come again and I lose it. Shit! It reverberates like it's hitting a wall. We've been going around in circles trying to find it and having no luck. I know that there's a connection but I can't seem to connect it.

The howls come again and out of nowhere I see a lone bat struggling in the snow and it hits me, '_The fucking __caves__! That's where he went then, the same shit about things in the trees and blah blah blah. He said the caves were safe, no trees. I'd bet anything that that's where they are.'_

We start running again, down through the snow covered woods. Finally, after about 20 minutes of slipping and tripping over each other, we emerge onto the beach and for just a moment all 3 of us are stunned speechless. The waves are crashing upon the remnants of their brothers frozen on the shore and the moon is peaking out from behind a cloud, the snow has finally let up enough for us to see properly and the effect is stunning.

Jake breaks the stunned silence, '_It's beautiful, makes me wish I had a camera so the girls could see this.'_

I think, '_The wolf mind means you'll never forget it though. Come on guys, lets get to the caves.'_

We make our way down the beach carefully using our claws to dig into the ice and stabilize ourselves. The howl's come again and this time they're close. Coming to a stop at the edge of the cave Quil thinks out, '_What if it's a trap?'_

I think back, '_I don't think it's possible. Maybe it would have been, but with this weather, I don't think so. Even so, be alert, eyes and noses open.'_

I inhale deeply and now I get a very faint scent, Jared. '_We're going the right way, I can smell J.'_

Quil inhales deeper, '_I got Paul's scent too, they're definitely in there.'_

I can feel the worry in his mind and I think, '_you guys wait out here, if there's trouble don't worry about me you just run as fast as your legs can carry you back to Bella. You got that?'_

They both nod in the affirmative and I pad forward tentatively into the cave. As my eyes adjust to the interior I can see a couple things of driftwood. Inching deeper in I catch the fast heartbeat and breathing of one of the guys, _**'Jared, stand up'**_

He stands up and I can see him now, I trot over to him and check him over quickly, he seems fine and I ask him, '_Where's Paul?'_

At the sound of his name Paul whines and I follow the sound over to him, I check him over and am relieved that physically at least they're both okay. Sighing in relief I order them, '_**Both of you follow me, no distractions.'**_

They follow me out of the cave and the only thing going through my mind now is, '_Let's go, gotta get back to Bella.'_

As we break the mouth of the cave Jake and Quil fall in behind Paul and J to make sure they don't veer off course. I'm not worried though with the order but as we get into the deeper part of the woods the anxiety and fear rolling off both Paul and J is overwhelming.

We push through it and we all keep going. I'm not getting any disturbing feelings through the imprint bond and Embry hasn't phased in and I breathe a sigh of relief as we push faster through the last couple of miles of forest.

We break through the trees into my yard and I skid to a halt and take a deep, deep inhale. Nothing smells off, and we move forward to the porch steps, '_Wait out here, I'll go in and grab clothes for you guys.'_

Jake and Quil say thanks while Paul and J just roll around in the snow. Shaking my head I order, '_**Jared! Paul! I want you guys to stay perfectly still until I tell you otherwise.'**_

Immediately they both sit still as statues and I roll my eyes as I phase back. I have to admit I've never used the Alpha this much but I'm so fucking thankful for that damn voice right now. Shivering I run into the house and grab the clothes I threw into the kitchen. I throw them on and move quickly into the spare room, calling out to Embry, "Em, all clear man, meet me in the living room in 5 minutes okay? I gotta get clothes for the others."

He calls back sounding relieved, "Alright man, I'm glad you found them."

I nod to myself thinking just how lucky I was to have remembered about the caves when I did. Otherwise God only knows how long it would have taken, as it is I've been gone for nearly 2 hours. I grab a bunch of shorts and tees from the dresser in Embry's room and stop in the bathroom to grab 3 large towels and bring them out to the yard.

Jake and Quil phase back and run up to me to grab the towels and the clothes before going into the kitchen to get dressed. I shake my head looking at J and Paul in their wolf forms still sitting exactly where I left them.

I let the Alpha into my voice as I order, "_**Paul, Jared, you may both move, but you must phase back and come directly to me.**_"

In the blink of an eye where the two wolves sat are a very naked Jared and Paul in their human forms. They come directly to me and I order again as I hand them the towels and clothes, "_**Go inside dry off and put the clothes on. Then I want you both to lay down on the couches in the living room, and STAY there unless you have to use the bathroom."**_

They take the towels and go immediately inside. I stick my feet into my boots by the side of the door and take a few minutes to do a perimeter check. Nothing is moving except the wind, and snow. I am the absolute only person outside on this block right now, and I breathe a sigh of relief.

I go into the house to find Paul and J on the couches, and my father and Embry in the kitchen. Quil is sitting in my recliner, and Bella is helping Christine to take vitals on Paul and J.

Paul is rambling about Rachel and J is singing a song about Kim. I laugh a little and Bella smiles up at me briefly. My sister catches my eye and I ask, "Do you think you could tell what they're on?"

She sighs, "It could be any number of things. I don't think we'll get any real answers until they sober up. My guess would be anything from ingested hash, to LSD or Peyote. I need to ask, do you guys use any recreational drugs?"

Taking a deep breath I answer, "We all smoke weed. That's it though, Bella used to also before she got pregnant. The guys all get their smoke from me though, and mine's been fine, obviously I'm not out of my mind and I smoked a bowl early this morning to take the edge off of meeting you guys."

She nods and asks, "How does it affect you?"

I get where the questions are going and I answer truthfully, "Honestly, much the same as it did when we were human. The high just doesn't last as long usually but it's intensity is generally the same."

She nods again and says, "Okay, well that gives me some idea about your systems. I'd guess that whatever they ingested they ingested quite a lot of it without knowing. You figure they've probably been high like this for the last 5 hours or so?"

Nodding I say, "Probably about that. They would have had to take a lot for it to last so long…usually we have to have a whole galaxy to get that high, and it's been a while since we've done that. Not since before Bella got pregnant."

Christine tilts her head questioningly, "Galaxy?"

Bella answers, "It's when you take like 4 or more pieces, pack them full, and smoke them in succession. The guys do that when they really want to let off some steam. This isn't weed though I can tell you that for sure, none of us have ever had hallucinations on weed."

Christine nods and says, "Okay, so you're telling me it takes about a quarter ounce of bud to put you on stupid for 5 hours. I would think that ingesting, not smoking but eating, about a half oz of hash could do this to them. Other options are the equivalent of a few tabs of ecstasy, or about a half ounce of mushrooms. I can tell you it's definitely not cocaine, or heroin though. I could take some blood, I have some drawing equipment in my bag. I'd have to have a lab run the tests though. I had wanted to get a blood sample from Bella just to run her levels and stuff to make sure that they were consistent with the due date that the old PA at the clinic had given her."

Sighing I run my hand through my hair and say, "Bella, can you call Rosalie, please?"

Bella and Rose had been keeping in touch through e-mail since the night we got engaged. Rose had been absolutely thrilled for Bella when she told her about the baby, and made her promise to take lots of pictures and video since she wouldn't ever be able to meet the baby in person.

****Bella POV****

I get my phone and scroll through it until I find Rose's number, I hit it in and wait as it rings. On the third ring she picks up, "_Hey Bella! How's it going? I saw on the weather channel that you guys are getting slammed with snow! I hope you were home!"_

Rolling my eyes a little I answer, "Hey Rosie, everything is good, Sam's father and his sister arrived and they actually got stuck in the house with us during the snowstorm. It's been nice though mostly given us a chance to talk about some stuff. Umm, I'm actually calling because we've got a small problem."

She sounds slightly worried as she asks, "_What kind of problem?"_

Sighing I tell her, "Someone drugged 2 of the guys. Sam's sister can take some blood from them but obviously we can't have a normal lab doing the tests. Sam wants to know I think if Carlisle can do the tests on it to figure out what they were given."

She pauses, thinking for a minute before answering, "_I don't see why that would be a problem. Why don't I put him on the phone, you can put Sam on with him, and they can iron out the logistics."_

I sigh relieved this time as I say, "That would be great, Rosie. Thank you."

She tells me it's no problem and I pass the phone over to Sam.

****Sam POV****

Bella hands me the phone and I wait until I hear Carlisle come on, "_Hello? Sam?"_

I sigh in relief as I answer, "Hey, Dr Cullen. I'm sorry to bother you, I take it you either heard Bella talking or Rose explained the situation?"

He gives an affirmative and says, "_Yes, I heard, I would be glad to run the tests. Do you need our help with anything? I can assure you that there have been no vampires in that area since well before you and Bella got engaged."_

His assurance actually does make me feel better and I answer, "No, thank you but I think we have it under control. This is a problem with a human, and I'm betting I know which human. I will take care of it personally. My sister is going to draw the blood from them, I can have one of my boys run it up to the Canadian border by Blaine, if you could have one of yours meet them to pick it up I would appreciate it."

He answers, "_I'll send Rose, and Emmett. Say, 2 hours?"_

Sighing in relief I answer, "That sounds great, thank you Dr. Cullen. I really appreciate it."

Dr Cullen answers, "_It's no problem Sam, even though I can't see her anymore, I still think of Bella as one of the family. I'll call you when I have the results_."

We hang up, and Christine goes to get her bag. For her safety I order, "Jared, Paul, Christine is going to take some blood from you_**. You both need to hold perfectly still until she tells you she's finished."**_

Christine comes back and they go still as statues. She puts a small rubber strap around Paul's arm and then inserts a butterfly needle into his vein, she loads a test tube into the vac and it quickly fills up with blood. She flips it back and forth a few times before labeling it with a p on the label and putting it to the side.

Finishing up with Paul she moves over to J and does the whole process over again. Bella peeks out the door and calls back, "It looks like the snow finally stopped."

Quil has his phone out and is texting and I snap, "Quil, who are you texting?"

He looks up surprised and answers, "I was just going to let Claire know everything was okay."

I shake my head, as I snap, "NO! Quil something was going on today with her parents. Why today of all days did they leave you alone? Whoever's plan this is, they were in on it."

He narrows his eyes at me, "Are you insinuating that **Claire** would help _anyone_ hurt Bella? Hurt the _baby?"_

Shaking my head I say, "No, Quil. I'm not saying **she** would. Her parent's though? I wouldn't put anything past them. You know they hate the influence that they think Bella has over Claire; I think they would do just about anything to get the rest of us out of Claire's life. They may not have known what all was going on, I'm not saying they did it purposely. Someone may have just told them to turn a blind eye for today and told them that if they did that Bella wouldn't be friendly with Claire anymore. Who are they close to?"

He thinks for a minute and says, "I don't know, Claire has some cousins up in Makah that they seem to see a lot."

Makah…Where Leah, and Harry went. I narrow my eyes and sigh because honestly until Paul and J come down I can't even make any full announcements. I hate repeating myself.

Bella comes up to me and I wrap my arms around her. Christine comes and hands me the vials. I ask, "Who wants to run these up to the border?"

Jake steps up, "I'll do it. I'm gunna bring my cell phone and take some pictures while I'm out there."

Shaking my head and laughing a little I say, "Take as many as you want, just do it _after_ you meet with Blondie and The Hulk."

He nods and takes them from Chris who has wrapped them up with plastic wrap and a couple of those hand warmer things to keep the blood from freezing. Jake puts them in the bag that he keeps his phone in and ties it around his ankle as he goes outside.

Josh comes in a minute later and goes over to Bella, "Bella honey, I put out a plate on the table for you with a glass of water. You didn't really get to eat much earlier. You should rest some."

She starts to say she isn't hungry and her stomach rumbles. She laughs and says thank you as she heads into the kitchen. I follow her in as Quil gets up and lets Josh sit in my recliner.

I check over the plate Josh made her, just making sure nothing smells weird. While I'm 90% sure that this is something to do with the Clearwater's, my guard is up and _everyone_ other than my boys, Charlie, and Bella herself are suspect.

Bella arches an eyebrow at me as she asks quietly, "Do you want to test the water?"

I pass her the plate and take a sip of her water, finding it fine I hand it to her and she says, "Please don't tell me you suspect _them_."

I shake my head, "No, I'm 90% sure this has Clearwater written all over it. Better safe than sorry though Bell."

She nods and says, "I know it's hard for you Sam, but you need to try to trust your dad."

I sigh, "He's **not** my _dad_ Bell. He's my **father**, in the strictest sense of the word. He gave me his DNA, but he's not responsible for the man I've become."

She sighs, "Isn't he though? Think of it this way Sam, what if he hadn't walked away? What if he'd stayed, like Paul's dad?"

I wince slightly because the image that conjures in my head is way too graphic. Paul's father was an abusive alcoholic who beat on Paul and his mother until Paul got big enough to fight back. His father left when Paul finally had enough and beat the crap out of him, after he beat the crap out of Paul's mother.

I sigh, "I see your point. He at least cared enough about all of us not to put us through that hell."

She continues eating and in between bites tells me, "We talked some while you were gone. He really loved you and your mom, honey. I could see it in his eyes when he talked about you both. He asked if I knew anything about you as a boy, it was sweet of him to try and distract me from worrying about you. I told him that it was hard for you to talk about your mom. I could see the pain in his eyes Sam. He loved her. I know it's hard for you to trust him Sam, but he _loves_ you."

I take a deep breath, "What about Em's mom?"

She looks confused, "What about her?"

I ask, "Did he love her too?"

She sighs, "I think he cared about her a great deal, maybe if he wasn't feeling the guilt over your mom it could have been love. He definitely valued her though, enough that he didn't fight her when she told him to get lost."

I nod and Christine calls in, "Sam?"

Bella waves me off and I go back through to the living room, "Yeah?"

She answers, "I think they should start coming down soon."

Nodding I sit with my back against the sofa. Embry shows her his room so she can lay down for a while. I turn to my father and say, "Thank you."

He looks at me confused and asks, "For?"

I smile and answer, "For distracting Bella from worrying about me. I can't guarantee anything, but I'm trying. I think I can trust you, it's just going to take some time before I trust that feeling."

He starts to talk and J groans out, "uuughh…..What happened? I feel like I got run over by a truck."

I stand up and look at his eyes quickly, his pupils are back to their normal size and I sigh in relief as I answer, "Someone drugged you, and Paul. You were out in the storm out of your minds."

His eyes widen and he asks, "Is everyone okay? Was there an attack?"

I realize then that he doesn't realize and I reply, "No, but we got lucky. Mother Nature was on our side. There's approximately 3 and a half feet of snow outside. The two of you were lost in a whiteout."

He arches an eyebrow at me and asks, "That's Mother Nature being on _our_ side? Damn I hope she's never on the other guy's side!"

I laugh a little and shake my head. I'm about to tell him the whole story when Paul groans out, "Why do I feel like I've been running circles around the res for hours but I can't remember a damn bit of it?"

Jared speaks up, "We were drugged man."

Paul scowls, "No kidding? Sam, everything okay?"

I nod and say, "Okay, here's the thing. You guys were drugged, I think it was an attempt to get us all out dealing with you, in the hopes that we would leave Bella unprotected. Obviously whoever planned this wasn't counting on a goddamn blizzard with whiteout conditions. We're going to have to really step up patrols until this psycho tries again though. I need you guys to think back, did you eat anything out of the ordinary? Did you share anything? Did you eat or drink anything that neither of you or your imprints made?"

They both think for a minute before exclaiming at the same time, "The MUFFINS!"

Bella comes in at that moment and they both turn on her and start yelling at once, "WHAT THE FUCK BELLA! WHY DID YOU DRUG US?"

She looks startled and I pull her behind me as I snap, "ENOUGH! Why the FUCK are the two of you accusing Bella?"

Jared answers, "When Paul and I went to patrol we found a basket with these huge blueberry streusel muffins. They had kind of a funny aftertaste, but they were still the second most delicious blueberry muffins I've ever tasted. There was a note with them, it said, 'For all my boys, Love, Bella'. We know she left them for all of us to share, but they were just so good!"

I turn to Bella with my eyebrow raised, and she says dryly, "Sam, if I had made muffins you would have smelled them. Someone planted them. Someone who knew that you'd eat them if it had my name on it, someone who knew where you guys patrolled, and who knows my name."

I sigh and turn back to see the two of them standing there sheepishly. I sigh, "Okay, new rule, unless Bella physically hands you food it is suspect! Do not **assume** she made things you find in the _woods_, even if they **DO** have her name on them! Clear?"

They nod and I continue, "We're on high alert now guys. It hasn't been like this in a while, but it's needed. Someone attempted to drug us all, someone is planning _something_ having to do with Bella. We have to be vigilant. Do _**not**_ eat things you _**find**_ in the _**WOODS**_! I can't believe I even have to _say_ that! Full patrols around wherever Bella is. No one gets near her without us knowing about it. Paul, you're with her all day at school, I'm trusting you to protect her there."

He nods at me and says, "You can count on me. Don't worry, I will never be so stupid as to eat something when I don't know exactly where it came from, or who made it, again."

I nod and J breaks in, "Sam, I might have been hallucinating it but did I hear that you think my Aunt and Uncle had something to do with this?"

I sigh and answer, "I don't know J. I don't want to think that, but I think it's just a little too coincidental that they all of a sudden pick today to give Quil and Claire some freedom. Don't you?"

He nods and I continue, "Look, we can't be focused on the who. We have to be focused on the when. When will this person try again? When will we catch them? You guys are gunna have to crash here until the plows go out. I have to call Charlie and let him know what's going on. He needs to be on the lookout for anyone trapped on the road from the Makah res."

We all nod and Bella gets up and starts to go into the kitchen, I catch her around her waist rubbing my hand over her stomach as I ask, "Where are you going?"

She snuggles in closer to me and holds on tight for a minute before answering, "I was going to go in and start getting something ready for dinner. Paul and Jared have had a loooong day, they deserve a home cooked meal."

I roll my eyes at her as Paul's head pops up from the couch and I say, "You, love of my life, mother of my child, are not cooking tonight. You are going to go into our room and catch a nap. This has been a long, emotionally draining, day. Quite frankly I think we could ALL use a nap."

I turn to my father and tell him, "Dad, the old spare room is free if you'd like to go take a nap as well, I think it'll be a while yet before the plows finally make their way out."

The smile lights up his face and I realize that I called him Dad. He regains his composure and says, "I think I will do that, thank you again, Son."

I nod and he turns to Bella, "You make sure you listen to my boy, Bella, he only has your best interests in mind. You do look a little tired sweetie, I think my grandson wants a lie down."

She shakes her head laughing as she replies, "Maybe you're right. Thank you for everything Josh. The sheets and everything in the guest room are clean, none of the boys have slept over lately and I changed everything at the beginning of the week."

He waves her off, "You keep a lovely house Bella, Samantha would be proud of the way you're running it."

I can see that the compliment takes her by surprise but she definitely appreciates it. Her eyes tear up a little as she says, "Thank you Josh. I really appreciate that."

She turns and I wrap my arms around her pulling her close and holding her tight against me as I revel in the fact that we're all safe, we're all home, and maybe this whole thing is going to work out fine. I tilt her chin up and brush my lips gently over hers as I ask, "Do you want me to bring you in a drink, or anything?"

She kisses me gently before replying, "nah, I have a bottle of water on the nightstand so I should be good."

I watch her as she goes into the room and Paul comes up and snaps his fingers in front of my face as he asks, "Hey Alpha, what now?"

I sigh and sink down in my recliner as Paul goes back and sits down next to Quil, I take a deep breath looking around at my brothers, and say, "Now? Now we wait. We wait, for Jake to get back. We wait, for Dr. Cullen to call us and tell us what the fuck you guys were on. We wait, for the next time this bastard thinks he's going to make a try. We _wait_, to take whomever it is **OUT**! I'm _done_ playing games. Whoever this sick fuck is they think they're going to come down here, drug my brothers, and threaten my wife and unborn child? FUCK that! You better believe that _THIS _big bad wolf is **DONE** playing Mr. Nice Guy!"

**A/N: So I've been going nonstop with this chapter since I posted the last one. Love you guys so much for the reviews! I'm on a roll with this now so hopefully I'll get at least one more chapter up before the weekend is up. Can anyone guess who all is involved? Hint Hint: there may be some who you really would not expect. There's going to be a time skip next chapter, not too far, a couple of weeks maybe. Keep leaving the love! **


	38. Transitions

**Disclaimer: Stephanie Meyer owns Twilight and all recognizable characters and situations contained therein. All original content in this fic is mine! As always story is rated M and is only intended for readers aged 18+. Reviews for the last 2 chapters have been amazing! I really can't thank you guys enough for all the support that you show!**

****Two weeks later Sam POV****

I'm in that weird in between that exists between waking and dreaming, and I'm struggling to pull myself out. Running on 2 hours of sleep wasn't pleasant but I had lucked out with day patrols for most of this week with last night being the only night that J, and I did nights. Finally I break through that last hazy layer and open my eyes. Bella is nestled against me and I take a moment to rub my hand gently over her small, but now noticeable bump.

The last two weeks have been extremely hectic. The guys and I have been running patrols almost non-stop, Embry, and Quil got grounded and had to be moved to late night patrols after the two of them got into a fist fight with half the football team who were making lewd comments about Bella's chest, I was just lucky that Paul and Jake were smart enough to know that their time was better spent protecting Bella in the midst of everything, and they stayed out of it. Meanwhile, Jared and I were running ourselves ragged trying to get as much work in as we could between patrolling.

Today I had a meeting with Billy and Old Quil, with Harry gone we were the only 3 Elders left. Bella's eyes fluttered open and met mine; I smiled at her leaning down to kiss her forehead, "Hey baby, how'd you sleep?"

She frowns slightly, and snuggles in deeper, as she answers, "Okay, would've been better if you'd been here, instead of out in the woods."

Sighing, I hold her a little tighter rubbing small circles over her bump; Bella's hormones have been raging this week. I can't blame her because I know the guys are up her ass at school, even here in the house we're practically never alone, even now Paul is crashing in our guest room, but I wouldn't be doing this if it wasn't completely necessary, "Bella, we've talked about this. Em, Quil, and Jake have run themselves ragged every night this week, they deserved the night with their girls. I promise you, that if it weren't necessary we wouldn't be doing it. I know it's hard."

She snaps at me, "No, you don't _know_ Sam! I can't even go to the BATHROOM by myself! I've had to use the bathroom in the nurses' office so that one of them won't come into the ladies room with me and cause a riot! I haven't had even one moment to myself, or ALONE with YOU in the last two weeks! I know that this whole thing is because of me; I know that all of you are only doing this to keep me safe, and I'm sorry that I'm being like this."

She's tearing up, and for the millionth time in the last 2 weeks I want to get a hold of whoever it is who's responsible for this shit and tear them into tiny pieces. My guys and I are walking a thin line right now, Billy and Old Quil had sat us down last week and reminded us that we were protectors, honor bound to _protect_ the tribe and all humans. They told us that for a protector to kill a human intentionally was sacrilege.

I told _them_ that if they couldn't understand that whoever was responsible had crossed a line that was impossible to uncross, that if they couldn't accept the fact that the threat to my wife, my _Imprint, _and my unborn child constituted a direct assault on the Pack as a whole, and therefore left the perpetrators open to tribal law. Well, I told them that if they couldn't accept that, then they could both go to hell. When I put it that way both of them had backed down, only warning us that taking a life was also crossing a line that couldn't be uncrossed.

Old Quil did however acknowledged that if it WAS Harry Clearwater or Sue, that we were within our rights under tribal law to take their lives, but that we should remember that Seth was still relatively young and to leave him an orphan would be cruel.

I pull back and look down into Bella's eyes, "Baby I'm sorry but I have to get up and get ready to go meet with Billy and Old Quil. Jake, and Embry are gunna come stay with you while I'm gone, I promise baby as soon as we get this fucker you'll get your privacy back."

She nods and even though I know she's unhappy, and she wants to argue, she gives me a tender kiss before saying, "Okay. You go get in the shower, I'll make you some toaster waffles."

I kiss her again and get up and head into the shower.

****Bella POV****

Sighing I lay in bed as I hear the water in the bathroom turn on. I absently rub my hand over my baby bump, it had only really become noticeable in the last week or so, but Kim and Christine were really being a pain about putting me into maternity clothes.

Over the last couple of weeks Sam, Em, and I had really started to get close to Christine and Joshua. Josh often came over to help me around the house and keep an eye on things when Sam wasn't around, and Christine came around most evenings to talk. Josh was in pretty good shape for an older guy and I guess Sam figured he'd be a good match for a human if someone came and tried to hurt me.

Christine had told me that she hadn't noticed any more changes, which meant that barring any unforeseen vamp activity she probably wouldn't phase. Getting up I throw one of Sam's old hoodie's on over my sleep tank and zip it up over my chest before making my way into the kitchen. I grab 3 of the bags of waffles out of the freezer and turn the oven on and let it heat up.

Embry and Jake come through the front door quietly as I'm putting the waffles on a sheet pan, "Hey guys, you want breakfast?"

They nod and sit down and I frown at them, "You guys are pretty quiet, what gives?"

Jake sighs, "It's really nothing Bella, Ang and Shanna are just feeling kind of neglected with the way our schedules have been the last couple of weeks."

I sigh, "I'm sorry you guys, I don't mean to cause problems for you."

I can feel the tears stinging my eyes and I turn away quickly hoping they won't see. I hate that out of control feeling I get when one of my emotions gets away from me. Embry comes up behind me and wraps an arm around my shoulder as he says, "Bella don't cry, I can smell the salt. You're not any trouble, and you're NOT causing problems! This whole mess isn't your fault! You didn't ask for this shit! Neither did Sam. The Clearwater's have problems, and whomever they roped into this is probably going to end up having a heart attack when they get a load of a pissed off Sam. Ang and Shanna are behaving like 16yr old girls, they're being selfish, and I told them both as much. You're almost my sister in law B, and that's _MY_ nephew that you're carrying! You deserve our protection. If it was one of the other's they would want us to do the same for them."

I smile and throw my arms around Embry and hug him tight, "Thanks Em, I appreciate that you feel that way."

Jake comes up and hugs me tight as he says, "Em's right B. None of us have any issue with the work we're doing, if it was any of our girls in this situation, we'd want the same. Now come on, make us breakfast!"

I laugh, "It's just toaster waffles, well, oven waffles. As much as you guys eat I'd need 4 toasters minimum to make enough for all 3 of you at once."

I load the 2 sheet pans of frozen waffles into the oven and pull out some heat and serve sausage. I put the sausage on another sheet pan and load that into the oven as well. I start to cross over to the cabinets when Sam comes out dressed for work, and says, "B, sit down, I'll take care of the rest."

****Sam POV** **

Bella sits and I grab glasses out and set them on the table. I pour Bella a big glass of orange juice and she takes her vitamin with it as I sit down with my own glass passing the juice over to Embry.

Bella leans her head on my shoulder and asks, "Can I go to the mall with Kim, Rachel, and Christine today?"

I tilt my head and ask, "Why do you have to go?"

She rolls her eyes a little, "Kim, and Christine insist that I need maternity clothes."

I sigh and prepare myself for a fight, "Bella with everything going on I wish you would just shop online."

Her eyes flash and she snaps, "You listen to ME, Sam Uley. I have been cooped up in this house for 2 WEEKS! The only place I've gone in those two weeks is SCHOOL! Now if this threat was vamp related I'd understand, and I _would_ stay home for you, but this whole thing is Harry Clearwater conspiring with maybe 2 other people! There has not been one whiff of ANYTHING out of the ordinary in the last 2 weeks, and I think YOU would consider that maybe the whole basket of drug muffins was a one time plan that they know they can't get away with again and acknowledge that _maybe_ they've given UP!"

Frustrated, and tired, I snap back, "YOU DON'T KNOW THAT BELLA! None of us **KNOW** for certain that this _wasn't _vamp related! Harry knows how to get in touch with the Cullen's; he was an _ELDER_ for Christ's sake! Do you really think it would be hard for him to get a hold of Edward and rope him into this bullshit? You know that leech isn't exactly STABLE Bella! I DO understand where you're coming from Bella, really I DO, but you have to look at it from MY point of view here too Bell! How do I take that chance? How do I just let it go, put it aside and say, 'yeah, sure honey, go to the mall! This whole thing is probably nothing, you go have fun!' How can I do that? How do I take a chance when it's you, and our baby that I'm taking a chance with? I just can't do it Bella! I'm sorry, but if you want to go to the mall you need to bring at least 3 of the guys with you, and I'd prefer it if you brought at least one of our dads too, preferably the one who carries a gun!"

By the end of my outburst everyone is staring at me, Jake breaks the silence in an awed sort of voice, "Damn Sam, you just flipped out on Bella."

Embry snorts out a laugh and Bella chuckles a little as she says, "I deserved it. You're right Sam, I never even thought of that possibility. I'm sorry, honey. I know you're right and I know that I've been overly emotional and difficult the last couple of weeks, I just can't seem to help it. I promise if I go to the mall I'll bring the appropriate security"

I pull her close, and brush her hair out of the way so that I can kiss her mark, and whisper in her ear, "It's okay Bella, I know that things have been rough, I just need you to bear with me okay? I'm only doing all of this because I love you and I love our child and I couldn't stand it if anything happened to you."

****Time-skip still SPOV****

I pull my truck into the lot of the meeting hall and park in one of the designated slots. Getting out I run my hands through my hair in frustration knowing that Old Quil is not going to be very receptive to what I have to say.

Thankfully, it had rained for 3 days after the blizzard, and all the snow had melted. Charlie had gone out looking for stranded motorists, but said that everyone must have made it to their destinations before it got too bad to drive.

I walk into the hall to find Billy and Old Quil already seated at the table. I go up and take my seat and Billy asks, "How's Bella doing, Sam?"

Sighing I reply, "She's okay, hormones are out of control the last couple of weeks but I can't blame her on that one. The hovering is driving her a little crazy, but it can't be helped."

He nods, and asks, "So, what did you want to see us about?"

I take a deep breath, and lay it out on the table, "I want to let the other guys, and imprints families in on the secret."

Old Quil gasps and his eyes are wide with shock, Billy looks surprised but like he's been waiting for this for a while. Old Quil breaks the silence, "Sam, you know why we have to keep it secret!"

I interject, "Yeah, I get why we can't just tell anyone, but their parent's _deserve _to know! I've had to have the younger guys doing overnights for most of the last week and a half because they got grounded for fighting at school over guys making comments about Bella! If their parent's knew it would be easier for all of us, and their parents would be able to be proud of what they are doing for their tribe as a whole! I'm sorry but as Alpha of the pack I think it's the right thing to do. Embry's mom, Jared and Quil's parents, Paul's mom, they all deserve to know the truth. As for the imprints…"

Old Quil cuts in, "No! Absolutely NOT! Some of the imprints aren't even native!"

Billy cuts in, "Now wait, lets talk about this objectively Quil. You have to remember that _my daughter_ is an imprint, as her father if I was out of the loop I would be very concerned about the fact that she decided to just move home out of the blue and take up with Paul Dixon instead of continuing her education. If she couldn't tell me the truth I would probably be dead set against their relationship."

He breaks off and takes a drink of his water before continuing, "Think of Bella, and how much easier it's been for her and Sam with Charlie knowing. Imagine how this year would have played out for them if he hadn't been in the know! The only non native imprint who's parents don't know is Embry's imprint, her father is the protestant reverend up in Forks, and from what I've heard he's very supportive of their relationship. I think that'll change though when she decides straight out of high school that she's going to marry him and move down to the res instead of going away to college like her plan probably was until she met Embry. I think the one who will benefit most from the girl's parents being in the know is your grandson, Quil! I think it's a good idea."

I interject, "Look, what I was going to say was that as for the imprint's I wouldn't be telling their parents anything until I find out if Claire's parents are somehow in on this plot against Bella."

Old Quil's eyes bug out again and he asks, "What? Why would you think that?"

Shrugging I reply, "Well let's see, the entire time Quil and Claire have been together, her parent's have not let them have one iota of privacy. Except for the night of the storm when Paul and Jared were drugged! By the way, Dr Cullen says there were extremely high levels of a bunch of psychotropic drugs in their systems, drugs that only a doctor or PA would have access to. No street drugs to speak of though."

Billy's eyes widen and I nod, "Yeah, Sue. Although I don't know how she would have gotten them. They've attacked the Pack Billy; they're both open to tribal law. I know how you both feel about this, but I'm sorry, I just don't see any other way. I'm not going to sit back and let them threaten my family and attack my brothers."

Billy swallows thickly and says, "I don't want to believe it of them, I know they both have some emotional problems lately I just don't want to believe they would _actually _attack anyone, but if they are behind this attack then you do what you have to do Sam. You have our support."

Nodding I ask, "And the parent's?"

He nods, "Tell them. We could have a meeting at your place tonight? This way none of you would be taken away from protecting Bella."

I reply, "That sounds good, I'll call the guys and arrange for them to bring their parents over around 8:15?"

Billy nods and says, "That's fine, Old Quil, and I will come around 8."

I look to Old Quil, we aren't terribly close but he likes Bella, and I want him to be behind us on this. Taking a deep breath I ask, "Old Quil? Are you okay with this?"

He takes a deep breath and shrugs as he replies; "Well _Chief Black_ has overruled me so I guess it really doesn't matter how I feel one way or the other. However, you made some good points, I understand how it would make a difference for the other's parents to know. It would bring pride to their families, and make it easier for them to do their job, all in all it seems like a win/win. After we figure out what's going on with the Young's we can decide on telling the imprint's parents."

****Time-skip 5:00pm still SPOV****

Bella, Kim, and the guys got home from the mall around 3:30. Kim and Bella went into our bedroom and shut the door without a word and have been in there ever since. I had quickly explained the situation to the guys and the rest of them aside from Jake had gone home to talk to their parent's.

Handing the X-box controller to Jake I go over and knock on the door. Bella calls out, "Who is it?"

I answer, "It's me, I need to talk to you."

Kim opens the door and scowls at me a little as she whines; "Saaam, Bella and I hardly ever get girl time anymore with you having her on lockdown! I need you to wait like 5 minutes okay?"

I arch my eyebrow at her, and get a whiff of something odd. Narrowing my eyes I ask, "What are you guys doing in there?"

She averts her eyes and says, "Nothing."

Kim starts to shut the door in my face but I'm not having it, I look down at her and say in a firm voice, "Let me in, Kim."

Reluctantly she steps back from the door and I enter the room, there's nothing out of the ordinary, and I realize that what I smell is Kim. She smells like herself, but sweeter and I suddenly realize what they're doing."

Shit, "Damn, Kim. I'm sorry girl, would you like me to save you the trouble?"

Her eyes go wide and she says, "Can you hear anything?"

I look around for a minute and ask, "Are you sure you want me to try? Don't you think Jared should be the first to hear it?"

She looks horrified for a second and says, "Oh, you're right! I should call him, I just didn't want to get his hopes up!"

I shake my head, "He won't be disappointed. I can tell by your scent that you are, you smell sweeter than normal."

She turns back to Bella who's holding the pregnancy test stick and smiling as she says, "He's right Kim. This one's positive too!"

The two of them run over to each other and jump on each other hugging and doing that girlie squeal thing. I'm laughing a little when Jake comes busting in behind me shouting, "What the hell is going on!"

The girls stop celebrating and Bella says, "Oh, sorry Jake. We just got a little overexcited. Go back to your game."

He shakes his head at them and goes back to the living room. Bella looks at me and says, "Sam, can you call J, tell him to come over here?"

I take a deep breath and reply, "Uh, that's what I was coming in here to talk to you about. Billy, Old Quil, the guys, and their parent's are coming over here tonight."

Her eyes go wide and she asks, "You mean you're going to tell their parents?"

Nodding I say, "Yeah, Embry needs Kay to cut him a _serious_ break. Quil's parents deserve to know too, and so do J's, and Paul's mom. Paul's mom especially I think needs to know that her son _isn't_ a drug dealing criminal, he deserves for her to be proud of him."

Bella nods, and we go out to the living room, leaving Kim to call J. Bella and I settle in on the loveseat and watch Jake play Halo. Kim comes out and settles herself in my recliner with a goofy grin on her face.

The back door opens and J comes in. Kim looks at Jake, "Jake, could you pause that for me for a minute?"

He complies and Jared looks at her warily, "What's going on Kim? Is everything okay?"

She nods, and gestures him over, as she replies, "Listen closely."

The room goes dead silent as J puts his ear against Kim's abdomen, I listen intently and I can tell Jake is listening too. I easily pick out Bella's heartbeat the familiar rhythm and the way it weaves in with the baby's, and then I hear it, another seemingly hummingbirds thrum weaving into Kim's heartbeat. Jared's eyes go wide, "It is. You mean. You're pregnant?"

She nods and says, "Yeah, Bella and I did like 3 tests, and then Sam came in and caught us and he said I smelled different."

J looks absolutely ecstatic as he scoops Kim up and tells us, "We'll be back later!"

Jake and I laugh and I tell him, "Congrats man, I'm really happy for you, you gotta have a boy though so my boy can have a best friend! Just don't forget that you have to bring your 'rents here by 8:15 J."

They laugh and Kim nods as J carries her out my front door to her car and guns it down my street. Shaking my head a little Jake goes back to his game, and Bella leans her head on my shoulder as I wrap my arms around her.

****Time-skip 7:45pm BPOV****

Since shortly after Kim and J's dramatic exit I've been baking, I go to the oven and pull out the last tray of cookies and put them on the rack to cool. I had made a triple batch and needed to get out a platter, and set the coffee pot.

God, it's lucky that I made a batch of cupcakes earlier or we wouldn't have enough food for everyone. I start frosting the chocolate cupcakes with homemade buttercream icing, and setting them on a plate. The front door opens and Old Quil comes in followed by Billy who's being pushed by Jake. Jake calls out, "I smell double chocolate chip cookies!"

Laughing I put the more cooled cookies onto the platter and bring them out into the living room and put them on the table before going over to hug Billy. He puts his hand on my stomach and says, "I feel like I haven't seen you in ages Bell, you look so different already."

I smile at him and say, "I know, the bump's really only started to be noticeable in the last week though, but I'm fast approaching only being able to wear Sam's really old clothes or maternity clothes. So I guess it's good that I got to the mall today to buy some of the latter."

Billy lets me go and I ask, "Can I get you some coffee? I have cookies and cupcakes, or if you want something else I can get you whatever."

He laughs a little, "Some coffee and a cupcake would be great Bells."

I nod and turn to Old Quil, "Old Quil, what can I get for you?"

He smiles a little and answers, "Just coffee please."

I go into the kitchen and fill 2 mugs, I'm just about to head into the living room when the house phone rings, I go over and pick it up, "Hello?"

There's the prompt click of someone hanging up, and I roll my eyes and hang it up. I go to pick up Billy and Old Quil's coffee when the shrill ring sounds again. What the fuck, I pick it up letting the edge into my voice as I answer, "Hello?"

This time a girl answers me, "_Hi, I'm sorry, I'm looking for Sam Uley, or Uley Construction?"_

What? Sam never gives out the house number, "Uh, where did you get this number?"

The woman answers, "_Charles Swan passed it on to my father, they used to work together._"

I guess that makes sense, though I don't know why my dad wouldn't have passed along Sam's cell when he knows that's the number he uses for work, "Oh, just a minute please."

I put the receiver down and call out, "Sam, telephone for you!"

He comes into the kitchen and asks, "Who is it?"

I shrug, "I dunno, it's work related, she says she got the home number from my dad giving it to her dad, apparently they used to work together."

He nods and picks up the phone as I take the coffee into the living room.

****Sam POV****

I pick up the phone off the counter and raise it to my ear, "Hello?"

The voice on the other end answers, "_Hi, is this Sam Uley?"_

I answer, "Yes it is, how can I help you?"

She replies, "_My name is Emily Collins, I recently moved into a new house in Forks, and I need some repairs done."_

I grab a piece of paper and a pen and ask her, "Okay, I don't really have time to talk right now. If you give me your number I'll give you a call in the morning, and we can set up a time for me to come take a look at the work that needs to be done around your house."

She sounds just a little too breathy and happy as she exclaims, "_Sure! That would be great! Thank you so much! My number is 555-0345, I really look forward to talking with you tomorrow!_"

Bella comes back and gives me a look like 'hurry it up' and I reply, "Uh, yeah, talk to you tomorrow then, bye."

I hang up and Bella asks, "So what was that about?"

I shrug, "Dunno, I told her I didn't have time to talk right now. I'll find out in the morning."

She nods, "Okay, well Billy said to tell you that everyone should be arriving soon. I think we're going to need more chairs."

I nod and she goes back out to sit down on the couch next to Jake. I go out to the storage shed and grab 5 folding chairs, and bring them back inside. I'm setting them up when the door opens and Paul and his mother walk in.

Paul's mother is a small woman who constantly looks like she's waiting for the world to fall down around her. Their life has been hard, and I know it hasn't been much easier for her since Paul's father left. She doesn't know that Paul is the one who made him leave, just that he left after a particularly bad night.

She looks around at Billy, me, and Old Quil and looks at Paul accusingly as she asks us, "What's he done now? I thought he'd been good lately! I haven't gotten any calls about fights at school this year, and his grades have actually been better than just passing!"

Billy speaks up, "Paul hasn't _done_ anything Mrs. Dixon. There's something important that you need to know but we're waiting for everyone else to get here."

She nods and Bella stands up, "Mrs. Dixon, please make yourself comfortable. Would you like some coffee? There are fresh baked cookies and cupcakes on the table. Help yourself, please."

She looks Bella over and then says, "I'm sorry, who are you?"

I stand up, "Mrs. Dixon, this is my wife, Bella."

Her eyes widen in surprise and then she smiles, "Oh! It's nice to meet you! I actually would love a cup of coffee but please let me get it, I remember early pregnancy, I was so exhausted I just wanted to sleep forever!"

Bella waves her off, "I actually feel really good right now! Please, sit, there's cream and sugar on the table I just fill the cup, really!"

Mrs. Dixon smiles at her and says, "Well, if you're sure, thank you."

Bella goes in to get the coffee and the door opens again and Jared and his parents come in. Their eyes widen at seeing Billy, and Old Quil sitting on the sofa, and they turn to Jared and hiss, "What have _you_ **done**?"

I interject, "Mr. and Mrs. Tompkins please, Jared has done nothing wrong. We're going to make this as quick and painless as we can for everyone but we're still waiting on the Ateara's, and Kay and Embry Call."

Tommy Tompkins, the man I now know was responsible for saving my mother the night my father was beating her in some bar parking lot, turns to me and says, "That's just about your whole little group isn't it? I see that Chief Black is here, does he know what's going on here?"

I nod, "Yes, he does, and when my brother and his mother, and Quil and his parents get here, so will you."

He nods at me, and there's something knowing in his eyes as he sits down next to Tiffany Dixon and takes a cupcake from the platter that Bella placed on the table. Bella comes out of the kitchen with three mugs and the coffee pot and Gina Tompkins rushes over to her to take the pot as she exclaims, "Bella, honey! Look at you baby; you have a little baby bump! Oh, Jared just told us about Kim on the way over here! How exciting for the two of you! You'll get to do Lamaze classes together, and shop for baby clothes, and then when your baby is born he or she will have an instant best friend just a couple of months later! Then in a couple of years when you're ready to have another one Paul and Rachel will probably be ready to join in the fun!"

Tiffany Dixon snorts at that and says, "Oh yes, lets all just go baby crazy! Don't forget that the younger ones in this group are only high school sophomores!"

Mrs. Tompkins waves her off, "Now Tiff, you know that what Paul and Rachel have is different from what he was doing with those other girls…"

Billy interjects, "I would certainly HOPE SO!"

Mrs. Tompkins looks mildly embarrassed and starts to apologize when the door opens again this time bringing Quil his parents, and Embry and his mother. They come in and Billy takes over, "Okay, everyone please take a seat and we can get started!"

They sit down and Bella stands up asking, "Can I get anyone coffee or anything before we start?"

Everyone shakes there head and Quil and Embry grab the plate of cupcakes handing one to their mothers before grabbing 2 apiece for themselves. Quil's mother takes the plate scolding him lightly, "You just had dinner Quil! Save some for everyone else!"

She hands her husband a cupcake and puts the platter on the table as Billy clears his throat loudly and says, "Excuse me? Can I have everyone's attention please? Look I need everyone to put down the coffee and snacks. We called this meeting for a very serious reason, and I'd like to do Bella the favor of not causing anyone to spill anything on her living room carpet."

Everyone puts down their respective plates and mugs and looks at him. He takes a deep breath and says, "Okay, first off, I need to know what everyone remembers of the old legends."

Tommy Tompkins speaks up, "What is this about? What do our boys have to do with old legends of mythical creatures?"

Billy looks at him seriously as he says, "Didn't you wonder why Sam, and your boy decided to go ahead with a tribal practice that's practically died out Tommy?"

Mr. Tompkins' eyebrows have near disappeared into his hairline and Kay Call busts out laughing as she exclaims, "Oh please! Billy, are you seriously trying to convince us that our boys are Werewolves?"

Billy raises an eyebrow at her, and asks, "Have you really not noticed that your son has been running a VERY high temperature the last few months? How about you Tommy? You didn't think it was odd that Jared has been running a fever for almost 2 years now?"

Mr. Tompkins' blusters, "Now wait just a minute! I don't know about Embry Call, but my son has been diagnosed with a very rare medical condition! He runs a fever but it doesn't affect him! Sue Clearwater down at the health center checked him out and said he was fine!"

Old Quil interjects, "Sue Clearwater, who's husband used to be an Elder. You see where I'm going with this don't you, Tommy?"

Mrs. Dixon interjects, "Now wait, Billy, you're telling us that you had Sue Clearwater falsely diagnose all of our boys with some phantom genealogical condition to hide the fact that our son's are shape shifters?"

Billy nods, and she takes a ragged breath, and says, "All this time, the last year and a half, I've thought my son was a criminal, or using drugs! I thought he was involved in illegal activities! Running around at all hours of the night, I thought he was out robbing people and selling shit to get a fix! I thought he was running his life into the ground, and you're telling me that he's been protecting this tribe? That he, and his friends are like some sort of superman?"

Billy nods, and says, "I'm sorry, Tiffany. We were afraid that if we told, if the secret got out, that the boys would be targeted. Their enemies would go after their families in order to get to them."

She snorts derisively, "You're sorry? You're _SORRY?_ What are you sorry for Billy? For making me think my boy was a criminal? Are you sorry for driving a wedge between us with your secrets? Or are you sorry for not trusting us to keep our boys secret? Why are you telling any of us this now? And how do we know that you haven't lost your mind?"

Paul speaks up, and if I didn't know how much Paul really loves his mother I'd be shocked by his tone as he says, "I, I can show you Mama."

He looks at Billy, "Can I show her?"

Then to me, "Sam?"

I look to Billy who inclines his head slightly; I turn back to Paul, "Go ahead, Paul. Would anyone else like to?"

Embry speaks up, "I'd like to show my mom. If she wants to see that is."

Kay just looks at him speechless, and nods. Tommy Tompkins speaks to J, "J? Son? Do you want to show us?"

Jared nods, "If you want to see."

Gina speaks up, "What about Kim, honey? Does she _know?" _

He laughs a little and replies, "Yeah mom, she knows. She's known since about 6 months after I changed for the first time. She's my imprint."

His mother nods and he snorts laughter and says, "So my being a giant werewolf is impossible but you just nod at Kim being my one true soul mate?"

She laughs a little and some of the tension eases out of the room as she replies, "Oh, honey! It's always been more than obvious that Kimmie is your other half! I'd be willing to bet that all of the girls in your little group are what you call imprints. Wait!"

She turns to Quil, "My niece! She's yours?"

He nods and she covers her mouth, "Oh my God, Quil, I'm so sorry!"

I interject, "What is it Gina? What's going on?"

She takes a ragged breath and answers, "My brother and his wife! That stupid church! They're just such difficult people to deal with! I'm just sorry that Quil has to be saddled with that!"

Quil nods, "I'll admit it's been a challenge, but Claire is worth it to me Mrs. T."

She nods and Quil's father looks at Old Quil, "Dad? You knew? You knew about what my son was going through, and you didn't tell me?"

He nods, and says, "I'm sorry Son, I was there for him every step of the way, he wasn't alone. I'm sorry I realize now that we should have told all of you from the beginning."

Billy speaks up, "Look, all we can do is try to move forward with the truth. The Pack is a family. Sam has done his best with all the boys. He's guided them all, including my Jacob, through this process with a strength and maturity that we had no right to expect from him, and he's done it all with absolutely no complaint. Your sons all look to him as heir leader. Now that you know the truth, you have to accept that sometimes they aren't going to be able to tell you everything. That's for YOUR safety! We've been having some problems with Sue and Harry. They're upset that Leah was not Sam's imprint and they've been threatening to Bella, and the Pack as a whole. Now, with Harry gone…"

Tiffany Dixon interrupts, "All due respect Billy, I'd like to see my son in his wolf form before we continue this meeting."

The other parents nod and Billy acquiesces, "Very well, but afterwards I do need about 10 more minutes of your time."

They nod and I stand up, "Umm, we should be okay in the yard, I have that privacy fence in between the houses for a reason."

I realize now that Bella has never seen me in wolf form, and I turn to her, "Bell? Would you like to see me in my wolf form Baby?"

She nods and I lead the group through the kitchen and out the back door. I turn and address the non wolves, "Okay, if you could all stay up here, Bella knows which wolf is what color, she'll be able to tell you which one is who when they come out of the trees. We kind of have to strip or we'll shred our clothes."

Tommy Tompkins speaks up, "J brought extra clothes in the car, I'd prefer to see this with my own eyes."

Sighing I reply, "Very well, if the rest of you feel that way I do keep clothes for emergency purposes in a waterproof bin by the back door."

Bella speaks up, "I already know you're telling the truth Sam, you can go into the woods. I like that pair of jeans."

****Bella POV****

Sam nods and heads into the woods. Quil, J, Paul, and Embry go into the yard and stand a ways away from each other. They take their shirts off and toss them up to me, as they start to concentrate and then shake, and just when you think they would explode from the way they are shaking they all burst into their wolf forms.

I hear the startled gasps from Gina Tompkins and Tiffany Dixon and place a calming hand on Mrs. Dixon's arm. She smiles at me, and then goes down into the yard and flings herself at Paul's silvery grey wolf wrapping her arms around his neck. Paul rolls his eyes, which in his wolf form is slightly unsettling, and then leans his massive head against his mother's hip sort of hugging her back.

The other parents venture down cautiously and I see it, movement in the treeline and then Sam's huge black wolf coming towards me. It's the first time I've ever seen him in this form and I almost feel like he's stalking me like prey as he moves purposefully to me.

He stops about 5 feet from the porch, and I'm thankful that it's not raining as I put the guy's shirts down, and make my way slowly down the steps. I approach him cautiously and hold a hand out; he moves forward and licks my hand while giving me a comical wink. Laughing I wipe my hand on his fur and notice how thick and soft it is as I say, "Sam! Gross, Babe!"

He makes a sort of choking noise in the back of his throat, and after a couple of seconds I realize that he's laughing. I gently stroke his head between his ears and he pushes against me lightly as I say, "Well, you make a cute wolf babe, but I'd like my human husband back now please."

He smiles and licks my hand again before turning and trotting back into the woods. Shaking my head I go back up to the steps as the parent's start making their way back inside. I open the bin next to the back door and take out 4 pairs of jeans. Sam comes out of the woods and takes the pants from me and kisses me on the cheek as he says, "Go ahead back inside babe, you and the bean can't afford to get sick right now."

I turn and go back inside to find Billy waiting. Sam comes in and he says, "Sam, I have one more announcement to make."

Sam comes and stands with me and we listen with everyone else as Billy continues, "So, now that you all know the truth I'd like to run something by you. As you know, Harry Clearwater is no longer an Elder. What you may not be aware of is that the reason he is no longer an Elder is that he and his wife could not accept the fact that their daughter was not Sam's imprint. Her pain crippled them, and they started to lash out at Sam, and Bella. While I don't want to believe that they would physically hurt Bella their actions of late have been unforgiveable. This of course has left us with just 3 Elders; I have decided that you cannot call 3 men a council. I would like to extend an invitation for each of your families to choose a member to sit on the council, no more secrets within this group. Please let me know your decision by the end of the week."

****Short time-skip still BPOV****

The last of the guys and their parents are headed out the door as Sam and I say goodbye. He turns back to me and says, "Go sit down B, I'll take care of the mess."

He doesn't have to tell me twice, I'm exhausted and ready for bed but I need to tell him something important, "Okay, but first, sit down with me okay?"

He comes and sits down, "What is it?"

I take a deep breath and tell him, "I want a gun, Sam."

He arches his eyebrow at me, and then asks, "I'm sorry, I could have sworn you just told me you wanted a gun."

Rolling my eyes I let the exasperation into my voice a little as I say, "That IS what I said! I'm serious Sam! I need to know that I can protect myself if it comes to that! Obviously I'm not going to be getting into any fistfights anytime soon with the Bean and everything! I NEED to feel like I'm NOT helpless!"

He inhales raggedly before saying, "Okay, I can see where you're coming from, but people who own guns are 10x more likely to shoot themselves or a family member than they are to shoot a perp Bella, and what happens when the baby comes? You can't have a gun in the house with a baby!"

I place my hand on his arm and feel the current running through our skin as I say, "Sam, honey, I'm not asking you to get me a gun and turn me loose on society with no further training. My dad can teach me how to use one safely, and responsibly. I need this Sam. Please?"

He sighs and replies, "Okay, we'll talk to your dad about it tomorrow, alright?"

Nodding I answer, "Okay. Thank you baby."

He nods, and then shakes his head, "I can't believe I'm going along with this, but I trust Dad to give you a good education, and you're right. You do need to be able to protect yourself in the event that something happens. I'll make you a deal, if nothing comes of this threat in the next week or so, I'll have the guys ease up at school okay?"

I nod and jump into his arms, Sam wraps his arms around me and pulls me close. He brushes his lips over mine and whispers, "I love you Bella, I only want you and the bean to be safe. You're my whole world Baby."

Sam gets up and starts to clean and I rest on the couch thinking about everything that's happened today, I can't believe that Kim is pregnant now! Gina is right of course, we're going to be able to do so much together, and I don't think I've ever really realized just how close Kim and I have become until right now.

She's my sister more than Alice ever could have been, thinking back to my time with the Cullen's it seems like another person's life and I realize that that's exactly right. The life I had with them, it wasn't mine, it belonged to the fake me that I developed for Edward.

That girl she's the one that was easily controlled and manipulated. Not me. I have a family now, my father, my fiancé/husband, my best friend and sister, all my other friends, my brothers, and my new father in law, and sister in law. This life, this is the one that matters, and no one, not Cullen's, not Clearwater's, not any other unknown variable is going to take this life from me.

**A/N: Okay first off I want to apologize for how long this took to get up! I know it's kind of anticlimactic and filler like but I do have a plan, and hopefully the end of this angle will play out the way I want it to. This chapter really gave me fits because I really wanted to rush right into the action, but I felt like I covered some stuff that's important too. Let me know how you feel! Again I can't thank you guys enough for the support that you have all shown this story! Next chapter is going to be a slightly longer time skip and I think we're going to find out what the sex of the baby is!**


	39. It's a!

**Disclaimer: Stephanie Meyer owns Twilight and all recognizable characters and situations contained therein. All original content in this story is mine! As always story is rated M which means it's intended only for readers aged 18+! Again I have to thank every awesome person on here who reads and reviews! You guys rock! Okay so we're time skipping again! Mini lemon at the beginning of this chapter, you have been warned!**

****April 23rd, 7 weeks later Sam POV ****

I'm ripped out of sleep at the crack of dawn when I hear a pained moan escape Bella's lips, and feel a shot of pain from the imprint connection. My eyes fly open and I'm up like a shot as I exclaim, "WHAT IS IT? WHAT'S WRONG! Is it the baby? Do you need to go to the hospital? Should I call Christine?"

She grits out from between her teeth, "Leg. Cramp. Owwww."

Sighing in relief I take the covers off of her legs and gently take her left one that's being held rigid and straight in my hand. I rub her calf muscle feeling the tightness in it and knowing that she must be in a lot of pain as I whisper, "Shh, shh Baby, it's okay, you need to relax Bell. The more you tense up the more it's going to hurt honey."

She takes deep breaths and slowly I feel the knot in her muscle begin to lessen. My cell rings and I groan in frustration because even without looking I know who's calling. Ms. Collins has been running me ragged for most of the last month and a half, it was a good thing that a week after the meeting with the other guys parents I had conceded that maybe an attack was NOT imminent, and eased up on the hectic patrol schedule, because that woman had not given me a moments peace since I started working on her place.

I don't know what possessed a single woman to buy a run down ramshackle house but that's exactly what it was. The whole place needed to be gutted and redone. I told her as much and she just told me that money was no object and that she expected to be there every step of the way.

Emily Collins was officially the new bane of my existence, that woman needed a life, hell she needed a freaking _hobby!_ Every morning she would call me to find out exactly when I'd be at the house, she wasn't even _living _there!

After my second phone call with her I had asked Charlie to borrow his old wedding band. I was actually lucky he still had it lying around. He never wore it or anything but told me that he just hadn't been able to throw it out, that it was a memento from a long ago life.

Sometimes I really think Charlie needs to find a girl, I had thought that there was a spark with him and Em's mom Kay, but shockingly she had actually started dating Josh again after an initially difficult re-meeting. She had been understandably pissed at first but after everything was explained, and she found out he was clean of all drugs and alcohol for going on 14 years she had confessed that she never stopped thinking about him and missing him, and the two had tentatively started dating again.

Anyways so I had gotten Charlie's ring and when I got to Ms. Collins' place I realized that I might as well not have bothered! The woman was the epitome of the stereotypical single woman on the prowl for a husband, she was a native woman a couple of years older than my presumed age at 30, and while she was attractive there was an odd quality about her that was just too familiar, but I couldn't place it. It didn't help that from the minute I walked in she stood too close, leaned in too far, and was just all around too eager for my liking.

I made sure to talk purposefully about Bella and the baby coming and it was like she just didn't hear me! Bella understandably was beginning to lose patience. After about the fourth week of being completely uncomfortable I sent Paul in my stead one day. She had called and told me that it was unacceptable for me to pass the job off to an _underling_, that she had hired me and she wanted the whole job done by me. That if I needed the guys to assist me that was fine but that I was to be on the job every day.

I let it go to voicemail, and when the little voicemail alert sounded I groaned, and then groaned even louder still when it started ringing again 3 minutes later. Bella rolls her eyes and gets out of bed stomping around as she cries out, "Just answer it Sam! You know she's going to keep calling until you DO!"

She stomps into the bathroom as I sigh and pick up the phone, "Yes, Ms. Collins?"

I hear her huff as she answers, "_Now, is that any way to greet your best client, Sammy? I have told you over, and OVER again to __**please**__ call me Emily!"_

I roll my eyes at the inappropriate nickname, even Bella doesn't call me Sammy, "Emily then, I told you that I wasn't available today, I'm taking my _WIFE_ to the obstetrician. You know, because she's _pregnant_. If you absolutely need something done today I'm going to have to send Jared or Paul."

She huffs again and whines, "_You know I don't like to deal with those guys Sammy! I only like for __**you**__ to be in the house with me! I haven't even seen you since Wednesday, I kind of miss you!"_

What is with this lady? I honestly just want to tell her to keep her money, and find another contractor, but with how big the job is I may as well commit career suicide if I do that. So I take a deep breath and answer, "Yeah, I know, I'm sorry but my _wife_ needs my full attention today. I'll give you a call later and find out what you need done for tomorrow."

She giggles, and breathes out in that little girl voice that I guess she thinks men find sexy, but I honestly find repulsive, "_Oh, I'm sure you'll get it done just fine. Bye Sammy."_

I hear a gasp and turn to see Bella staring at me incredulously as I hang up. Bella's eyes are brimming with hurt and unshed tears as she asks, "Sammy, huh? _I _don't even call you that! Is it because I'm fat now? Do you think she's prettier than me? Is that it?"

Taking a deep breath I go over to her and pick her up easily cradling her in my arms as I answer, "Bella, I love you honey, but you're being hormonal, and crazy if you think that I want **ANYTHING** to do with that woman in anything more than a _professional_ capacity! I'm a construction worker baby, women flirting outrageously with me is kind of par for the course, but you should KNOW that I am 1000% committed to YOU and our Bean. Please Bell, don't let that bitch ruin today for us! We're going to find out the sex of our Bean today! Oh, and you're not fat honey, you're pregnant! There's a huge difference!"

I ghost my hand from her now very obvious baby bump up to her swollen breasts as I lay her gently down on the bed and climb in beside her, "God, you're so fucking beautiful Bella. I look at you and I don't see anything wrong, you're perfect, I wish you could see yourself the way I see you."

I brush my hands gently over her breasts, pulling her top up to bare them to my ministrations. The nipples have gotten larger and darker but that doesn't turn me off. I kiss gently down her neck and chest until I can take one gently in my mouth; I suck gently on it while looking up into her eyes and ghosting my hands down to rub her belly.

Bella moans gently and I switch to the other breast as I move my hands lower still. I ghost my fingers over her panties and she moans again. Her panties are already wet and I tear myself away from her as I lay back and grab her hand. I bring it down my body and press her hand against my rock hard dick as I say, "Do you feel what you do to me, Bella? Do you feel what your _body_ does to me? Don't EVER doubt my love for you Bella, don't EVER doubt that you are the most beautiful woman in the world to me!"

I ghost my hands back up over her belly and I say, "This, this is sexy Bella, you're swollen with _my child, _and you ARE gorgeous."

I move my hand back down between her legs and slide it under her panties as I say, "I want to hear you say it, beautiful. Tell me that you know that you're the only one I see."

She moans as I slide a finger into her pussy maneuvering my hand so that I can stroke her clit with my thumb as I tell her again, "I want to hear you say it, Bella."

She moans and gasps out, "I know, I know that I, I'm the only one, the only one you see."

Grinning up at her I move my hand slightly faster as I tell her, "I want you to tell me that you're beautiful."

She moans and I know she's close, I move my hand slightly faster and flick my thumb over her clit and she gasps, and I know that she's about to cum. Stopping she groans in frustration and pants out, "Sam. Please!"

Grinning at her wickedly I say, "Not until you tell me what I want to hear, beautiful."

She moans as I flick my thumb over again and she pants out, "I, I'm beautiful"

I add a second finger as I pump them slowly in and out of her and she falls over the edge with a high-pitched wail that turns into my name at the end.

She reaches out to pull me to her and I pull back gently, "We don't have time baby, and I don't think we're supposed to have sex before going in to see the doctor, especially when the doctor is my _sister_"

She takes a deep breath, and sighs, "You're right, I wish you weren't, but I know you are. Okay, I'm gunna hop in the shower, you're on breakfast duty."

Smiling at her I nod and watch as she gets up and walks slowly into the bathroom.

****Bella POV****

I turn the shower on and adjust it so that it's lukewarm, the last week or so hot showers have been making me feel faint and out of breath. I had asked Christine about it and she had assured me that it was normal. Just part of being pregnant, I had a full appointment today, and my Dad and Josh were coming with us so that they could be there for the ultrasound when we found out the sex of the baby.

I was grateful that she had also warned me last week that I could start to have breast leakage soon. She said as long as it was thin and clear to mildly cloudy it was nothing to be concerned about, and it was a lucky thing that she had warned me because I had had some of that here and there throughout the week.

I washed my hair as quick as I could which was a lot slower than usual with the sudden thickness of my hair, I had never had thin hair, but it had never been this thick and full of body either. I got all the soap out of my hair and poured some body wash onto my loofah, I was rubbing it over my bump and I felt the now familiar fluttering of the baby moving around inside of me, and then a sharp kick followed by more fluttering as he or she turned over.

Two weeks ago Sam and I had been sitting in bed, he was sitting against the headboard, and I was sitting in between his splayed legs while he rubbed my aching back. This had turned into him ghosting his hands all over my body, and as he had moved his hands to concentrate on my burgeoning belly it happened, the Bean had turned and kicked sharply at Sam's hand as it passed over. It had been an absolutely perfect moment in the midst of the hell that Sam's new client had been wreaking on our lives.

That woman was unbelievable, he wore my dad's old wedding band every time he went over there, the few days that J and Paul went with him because the job was too big for one person they had told me that he chattered on constantly with J about mine and Kim's pregnancy.

Kim and J were absolutely ecstatic, at her first appointment they found out that she was 8 weeks, which put her at 15 now and the guys, although they'd eased up some at school, still liked to keep us together so that they could run patrols around us. The younger girls however kind of looked at us like we had something catching and I hadn't even really spoken to Angela or Shanna lately but that I guess was just the breaks of being on to the next stage of life while they were still in a high school mentality.

The novelty of my pregnancy hadn't quite worn off at school yet, everywhere I went I got stares, and I almost punched Seth Clearwater's little girlfriend when she came up to me and put her hand on my bump without even so much as saying hello to me.

Paul was great about keeping people away from me after that, he walked close in front of me to every class and he, and Embry both sat close to me at lunch. My teachers had been really great, a few of them pulled me aside and told me how brave they thought I was to go ahead and finish school in my condition and how they were proud of me for not giving in to the pressure that the school put on me to withdraw and continue my education on my own at home.

Finishing up in the shower I wrap one of Sam's extra large towels around me and wrap my hair up in one of those special hair towels. The last couple of weeks have been hectic, Kim and I have been preparing in earnest for our double wedding reception that was coming up next weekend.

Spring break was this week, Sam and I were planning on going to the courthouse on Tuesday morning with our dad's Em, Christine, Kim, and J as witnesses to have a judge marry us. Sam and I had gone last Wednesday to get the license in order to not have a problem with the 3-day waiting period required by the state. J and Kim had come with us and their tribal ceremony was going to be Tuesday night.

We had both gone to the mall with my dad, and Kim's mom to get our dresses, nothing too fancy. I found a beautiful simple white sundress that I felt was perfect and Kim had ended up choosing something similar but slightly more form fitting.

We aren't doing a big thing, just kind of a family potluck in mine, and Sam's backyard. Christine and Rachel insisted on hosting a shower for us at Christine and Josh's place Saturday during the day and I knew that part of the reason for that was for Sam and J to put something together at the house, but it was still really nice of them to do.

I pulled on a pair of purple panties with a pair of short denim maternity shorts. I grab a bra and put it on before throwing on a cute fitted black maternity top. I slip my feet into a pair of grey ballet flats and head out to the kitchen.

I sit down at the table and Sam puts a plate in front of me, it's piled with a cheese omelet, and hash brown potatoes. He brings me over a large glass of orange juice and my vitamin and I take it before I start eating.

****Time-skip still BPOV****

Dad had decided that he was going to drive us all over the clinic for my appointment. Sam glances at the clock, "it's time to go, B. You know you're going to have to admit that I'm right when Christine does the ultrasound and our Bean is revealed to be a boy, right?"

I laugh, "Yeah, well how disappointed are you going to be if it turns out to be a girl?"

His face turns serious, and he takes my hand and says, "As long as she's healthy, and happy, there's no way I'd be disappointed at all. If she is a girl though I'm going to have to get a shotgun because if she's even half as beautiful as her mother I'm going to be beating boys off of her with a stick!"

I smile back at him and he locks the door behind us as we walk over to my dads. He comes out the door with his keys and locks his door behind him before coming down the walk and giving me a big hug and saying, "So, you ready to find out?"

I take a nervous breath, and squeeze my dad tight as I reply, "Oh yeah, I'm really glad you're coming Dad. Josh is going to meet us there."

We get in the car and Dad drives the 10 minutes to the clinic. We meet Josh in the parking lot and he gives me a hug and smiles at Sam as he jokes, "So today's the day huh? You excited Daddy? Still think it's a boy?"

Sam laughs, and replies, "Yup, I'm still convinced. Bella is going to have to say the words that every wife dreads saying to her husband, 'I guess you were RIGHT!' Honestly though, whatever it is as long as the baby is healthy I really don't care if it's a boy or girl."

The dads agree, and we all head into the clinic. I'm writing my name on the clipboard when the receptionist looks up and says, "Mrs. Uley? Dr. Uley is ready for you, you can go ahead back to exam room 3 and she'll be right in with you."

Sam takes my hand and leads me back, saying, "She'll get the dads when she's ready to do the ultrasound."

I walk into the exam room and the nurse comes in, hands me one of those privacy sheets, and says, "You can undress from the waist down, Dr. Uley will be in with you in a minute. I go behind the curtain and slide my shorts and panties off and place them on the little bench. I wrap the sheet around my waist and go over to the exam table.

Sam lifts me onto it because he's deathly afraid that I will hurt myself trying to hop up on my own even though there is a little foot stool for that specific purpose. I'm just settled when there's a light knock at the door. I call out, "Come on in Chris."

She opens the door and asks, "How is my favorite patient today?"

I smile, and answer, "I'm fine, I think I might go up to Forks and shoot that Ms. Collins, but otherwise no complaints!"

She wrinkles her nose, as she wraps the blood pressure cuff around my arm, and says, "Still being a pain in the ass huh?"

I nod and wait for her to finish, when she's done she says, "Alright, blood pressure is good, I'm going to just write in a normal temp on the chart for you. Just take your actual temp at home and make sure it's normal for you for me okay?"

Nodding again she tells me, "Okay, I'm going to give you a quick pelvic okay? It's just to make sure that your cervix is still closed and not softening or anything like that, okay?"

I nod and lay back and close my eyes as Sam takes my hand and I drift off to a happy place. After about 2 minutes she says, "Okay, all set, everything looks great. I wanna just get a weight on you and take some measurements and then you'll be able to get dressed and then we'll take you over to the ultrasound room, which is where I have our dads waiting."

I get on the scale and she looks over everything before saying, "Okay Bella, everything looks good, you've gained about 13 lbs so far which is perfectly normal."

She takes a tape measure and takes a measurement on my belly and says, "Fundal height is good. Go ahead and get dressed and then I'll take some blood before we go over to ultrasound."

I go behind the curtain and put my panties and shorts back on and slide my feet into my shoes. Coming back out she says, "Okay, just sit back on the exam table and I'll take the blood."

Sam takes my hand and I look into his eyes as I feel the sharp prick of the needle going into my arm. A few seconds later she says, "All set. Hold this cotton ball there for me?"

I hold the cotton ball on my arm and she puts a piece of clear tape over it. Sam helps me down off the table and we follow her down the hall to the ultrasound exam room. Dad and Josh are seated in chairs by the wall and they both look like kids on Christmas.

Chris gestures to the table as she says, "Well, you ready mama?"

I nod and Sam helps me onto the table. I lay back and Christine raises my shirt to the top of the bump. My shorts go below my belly anyway and I feel kind of exposed but I know that there is no safer place in the world than right here with my father, Sam, my sister and father in law.

Christine takes the ultrasound gel and squirts a dollop onto my belly as she types in some information into the computer. She tilts the screen so that we can all see and Sam stands next to me and takes my hand as she starts to run the wand over my belly.

There's a flash on the screen and then my baby comes into view, it's amazing, the feelings that are coursing through me. She turns on the Doppler and the Beans heartbeat rings out clear and true.

I turn to Sam, "Not a bean anymore, huh?"

His face is awestruck as he shakes his head, "No, it's a baby Bell. Our baby…"

Christine moves the wand down and just as she does the Bean flips over and kicks out and is completely splay legged, and he is indeed a _HE_. The grin that splits Sam's face could probably light up a small city block as he fist pumps and shouts out, "That's my BOY!"

The dads jump up, and come closer as my son starts kicking. Christine laughs and says, "He's a boy all right! How many pictures of my beautiful nephew am I printing out?"

I do the math mentally and reply, "Umm, 7 should be good."

She nods and clicks a few buttons before starting to take some measurements on the screen and the printer starts going. Chris finishes up and takes a small washcloth and wipes the goo off my belly. I pull my shirt down and sit up as I meet Sam's eyes and the shit-eating grin on his face says it all before he says, "Do you have something to say to me, Bella?"

I snap back at him, "Psh, I'm giving you a son! That's what I have to say to you! Nah, baby, I admit it! You were right all along. I defer to your superior intuition."

He laughs and pulls me against him and kisses me deeply before pulling back and saying, "I love you Bella. Thank you, so much baby."

I arch an eyebrow at him, "Why are you thanking me? I should be thanking you. I love you Sam, so much! There is no one else that I would want to be sharing this life with."

He kneels down and says to my belly, "You did good son, atta boy! Now mommy can't try to paint your room _yellow_!"

I laugh and reply, "Well I could try, but I think you, our dads, and a whole pack of teenage werewolves might be able to stop me!"

**A/N: Okay, so I know this is a shorter chap but I wanted to get it up tonight! I'm going to write Bella and Sam's courthouse ceremony, but I'm probably not going to write Kim and Jared's traditional Quileute ceremony(mostly because I have no idea what one entails). That stuff is either next chapter or the one after. Love you guys for the support that you show! **


	40. Mr and Mrs Uley

**Disclaimer: Stephanie Meyer owns Twilight and all recognizable characters and situations contained therein. All original content in this fic is mine! As always story is rated M and is only intended for readers aged 18+! Wow so Chapter 40, never thought this story would get this long, and it's a long way from finished. **

**Just want to note real quick that when Sam feels Bella's pain like when she got the leg cramp he doesn't feel exactly where it comes from or why she's in pain he just gets a sharp jolt.**

****Later that afternoon Sam POV****

Bella and I had gone out to lunch with our dads after leaving Christine at the clinic. We had invited her of course, but she said J was bringing Kim in for a quick check up and to get a shot of some sort, something about blood types. I had been worried, but Bella assured me it was normal when the mother had a negative blood type and the father had a positive one. I looked at her in alarm because she had never asked what my blood type was, and she had told me that she knew she was a positive from donating blood back in Phoenix so it wasn't an issue.

We get back to the house to find the whole pack plus Kim, and Rachel in my living room. I could hear them so I wasn't surprised to find the front door unlocked. Walking in, I shout, "How did you all get in here?"

Embry holds up his key ring and says, "Did you forget that you gave me one of your spares? Did you really think we all wouldn't be here waiting to find out? We want to know what the baby is! Are we getting a nephew to pal around with, or a niece to spoil and protect?"

Bella laughs and hands him one of the sono pictures, Embry's face lights up, and he shouts, "Damn, Sam! He really wanted you to KNOW he was a boy huh?"

I laugh, "Yup, taking his daddy's advice to heart already! He didn't want a '_gender neutral' _room any more than I wanted one for him!"

Bella adds, "Well we still have five more months to get his room all ready. I think we should start trying to decide what we're going to do about the space issue Sam. Can we afford to put on an extension? The lot next door is probably expensive."

I sit down in my recliner and pull Bella down to sit with me as Kim and Rachel pass around the sono pic and J starts playing Halo on my X-box. Thinking a minute, I tell her, "Bell, you know our bills here are pretty minimal, I could take on a mortgage to buy that land no problem. I've been thinking about this for a while and this house is just too small for us, it really has been for a while. The guys are almost always hanging around here, our Dad's, Christine, Kim, and Rachel, and especially now with the first Pack babies on the way it's just too small for everyone to hang out comfortably. You're almost done with school, I think the guys and I could get a new place built relatively quickly if that's the only job we're doing for a while. Paul's done with school this year, so even when the younger guys go back we'll still be able to get a lot done. Charlie and I talked about it a little last week and he said that we could move in with him while construction is going on. I know that it's a lot to think about, and that really it'd have to be done in lightning time but I think we could do it."

She sighs, "Babe, what about that Ms. Collins? As much as I want to shoot that bitch, you already committed to that job, and it could really take your career to another level. I think that we should just keep going the way we are for right now. Once that job is finished we can worry about what to do about our own home…"

The shrill ringing of my cell phone cuts her off, and there is a collective eye roll as Bella exclaims, "Speak of the fucking Devil!"

She pushes herself up off my lap and goes with Kim and Rach into the kitchen. Sighing I hit ignore and then turn my phone off. I know that I should take the call, Ms. Collins is paying a shitload of money for my time, but seriously I had told her that I needed the day! I had also told her that I would call HER, so she can just wait for me to do that.

****Bella POV****

Sighing I get a glass of water and ask, "Kim, you need something to drink?"

She replies, "Yeah, thanks. You okay Bells?"

Rach pipes up, "You want me to take a ride up to Forks and beat the bitch down?"

Smirking I reply, "I'm okay Kim. Rach, you're probably the only one I'd trust to do it right now. Kim and I both being knocked up kind of means that our ass kicking days are over for right now."

Rach smiles and says, "I can't believe that you guys are due like 5 weeks apart! It's insane! I wish Paul were done with school already, that's the only thing holding us back from getting engaged. He wants to be done with school, and working full time for Sam before it happens."

Kim and I nod, and I bring Kim over a glass of water as I say, "I can understand that, Paul is itching to be done with school. He wants to start working but he doesn't want to disappoint you or his mom. He wants you guys to be proud of him."

She smiles and replies, "I am so proud of him! I know that he's anxious to be done; we're both anxious to move forward. Speaking of going forward, I think you should let Sam quit this job B, let him focus on you guys. This woman, she's gunna be trouble, I can feel it."

I scoff a little sitting down between the two of them as I say, "Psh, c'mon Rach, Sam is devoted to me, and our son. He would never do anything to put our future together in any sort of jeopardy. Is it even possible for them to be unfaithful to an imprint?"

Kim shakes her head, "No, it's not, but that doesn't mean SHE can't try. Just think about it B, I know with the baby coming you're a little worried about money but you don't need to be. Sam knows what he's doing, if he couldn't afford to give the job up he wouldn't have mentioned it."

Sighing I reply, "I know he can afford to lose the _**money**_, but he _can't_ afford to lose the exposure that such an intense rebuild could bring him! People in Forks know that house, they know what it looks like now, and it's a shit hole! When they see what he turns it into in the end, that's going to bring them so much more business! It's a chance to double or even _triple_ their customer base! Which makes more work for Jared, and Paul too!"

Kim nods, and Rach replies, "I never thought of it that way. I guess you're right. They could use more work, especially Sam and J, what with you and Kim being pregnant."

I shake it off, "Paul too if you guys are going to get engaged and plan a wedding. You'll be the first big wedding the pack has what with Billy being chief it'll probably be a really big deal for the tribe too."

She sighs dreamily, "Yeah, I guess it'll be nice to be the first at something though. I'm so happy for you two, but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't just a little bit jealous of you too."

Smiling at her I reply, "It's cool. We know you're happy for us, and that that's the predominant feeling. I only wish the younger girls were half as happy for us. I feel like they think we're contagious or something."

Rach laughs and Kim smirks a little as she says, "Don't sweat it Bella, it's just the fact that we're on different levels, the couple years between us is like an eternity right now. I think half the reason you were so close with them at first was that you went to school with Shanna before Claire moved here, and Angela was your friend from Forks, and they didn't really know each other. It's hard for them to be really close to Claire because of her parent's but they're on the same level you know?"

Rach interrupts, "Are you and Sam going to Prom, Bella? Please say yes, I couldn't stand being there without you! I would feel so out of place! Paul wants to go and I want to do it for him because it's the last normal high school thing that's available to him you know?"

Groaning I put my head in my hands and say, "Oh shit! I never even THOUGHT about Prom! I really don't WANT to go Rach! By then I'll be 6 months, it really won't be fun for me, but you're right, it really is the only normal high school thing that's left for Paul and I. I'll think about it, and talk to Sam about it okay?"

She nods and smiles as she replies, "As long as you think about it I'm happy."

****Time skip Bella POV Monday night****

All the girls and I are sitting around in the living room of my dad's house in La Push. I was actually really surprised when Rachel told me the younger girls were coming, but they seemed to be relaxed and having a good time. Kim had insisted on both of us spending the night away from the guys because she bought into the whole bad luck to see the bride before the wedding thing.

At first I had balked but then I realized it was just what I needed right now. A girls night where we could all sort of reconnect without age groups coming into play, Charlie was staying at mine and Sam's to avoid the estrogen rush. Now we're all spread out watching some cheesy romantic comedy and Ang is braiding Kim's hair while Shanna and Claire give Rach a makeover. I get up and head into the kitchen thinking about just how much my life has already changed, if I was having this party 6 months ago we'd probably be passing around a joint, a bottle, or something.

Those days are behind me now, and as much as I miss them in the moment, I wouldn't trade it for the world. I grab a bag of microwave popcorn and throw it in the oven and set the timer.

Kim comes in with her hair in little braids going in all directions and asks, "Hey B, do you think Charlie has any ice cream?"

Smirking a little, I reply, "Craving?"

She laughs, and nods, as I tell her, "Sam took me shopping before you guys came over, we have ALL the sleepover essentials. Ice cream, popcorn, chips, soda for the non pregnant girls, and pretty much anything else you can think of."

Kim grins as she goes to the freezer and grabs out a carton of mint chocolate chip as she exclaims, "How'd you know!"

I raise an eyebrow as I ask, "Know what?"

She giggles as she replies, "That I was absolutely craving mint chocolate chip ice cream!"

Laughing I reply, "Silly, I didn't know YOU were craving it! I bought it because _I _was craving it!"

We sit together at the island in my dad's kitchen as we giggle and eat the ice cream out of the carton. The timer on the microwave goes off and I get up and pour it into a bowl. Taking it out to the living room I hand it to Shanna, who smiles at me as I say, "here, I'm going to make another bag, that should be enough for 3 though."

She passes it to Claire, who's putting bright colored eye shadow on Rachel, before getting up and saying, "Wait up, I'll go with you."

I smile at her and say, "Oh, okay."

We go back into the kitchen and she sits at the island with Kim as I put another bag into the microwave. I put the timer on, and move away from it to sit on one of the other chairs, as Shanna asks, "How are you doing Bella? You're absolutely glowing!"

Smiling I reply, "Yeah, I probably have a huge stupid grin on my face, but I'm just so happy! I can't believe that I'm getting married tomorrow! I mean I know that in the eyes of the tribe Sam and I are already married, but we get to have it be official to the rest of the world now too!"

She smiles back as she replies, "I know, I can't even imagine, sometimes it seems like you, Kim, and Rach are just so far ahead of us. I miss you though B, I feel like I never get to hang out with you, and I miss it."

I pat her shoulder as I tell her, "Shan, you're welcome to come around whenever you want to! It's hard for me to go out and stuff now, plus I don't want Claire's parents to feel uncomfortable letting her hang out with you and Ang because of me. I honestly thought that you and Ang were uncomfortable hanging out with me because of the baby."

She looks shocked as she answers, "What? Seriously? Ang and I thought that you didn't want to hang with us anymore! We thought that you were uncomfortable with US!"

Kim breaks in, "Shanna, we're the same as we ever were! We didn't wake up and start looking at the world through the eyes of a 40yr old just because we got pregnant. Bella, Rach, and I aren't really THAT much older than you guys. I mean you and Ang are already 17, so the margin is not even 5 years between Rachel and Claire who is the youngest. I know that we're at a different stage of life than you guys but give it another couple of years and that will probably change too."

She nods and replies, "I know, it's just weird to think that in 2 years Bella really could be either me, Ang, or Claire. At the same time I don't think it would happen that way because our guys are the same age as us, I don't think they'd chance knocking us up until they get their auto repair shop off the ground. Jake and Quil already make pretty good money doing repairs on the side. Embry is looking to join Sam's construction crew over the summer and start earning that way. Ang isn't too happy about that though, she's afraid that that woman will come on to him the way she does to Sam."

I feel my jaw tense and Kim rubs my shoulder as she says, "Don't talk about _her_ tonight Shan. It's really starting to get to B."

I snort derisively as the timer on the microwave goes off. Kim gets up and puts the ice cream in the freezer as I fill another bowl full of popcorn. Bringing it into the living room I settle back on the couch next to Rach who is sporting bright blue eyeshadow with green eyeliner and bright purple lipstick. I can't even help myself as she makes a kissy face at me I start cracking up, hitching in great gasps of air as I shout, "HOLY SHIT! You look like some sort of deranged circus performer Rach!"

I turn to Claire who is laughing as well, and I get myself back under control, as I jokingly tell her, "You should do that professionally Claire."

She smirks, "Thanks, I think she looks lovely."

It hits me that it's strange that she's here so I ask, "So where did you tell your parent's that you were going to be tonight?"

She laughs a little as she replies, "Angela's. She's the only one that my parent's really won't ask too many questions, or complain about, because her dad is a minister."

I roll my eyes a little, and Shanna teases, "Is that where you told them you'd be last weekend when Quil took you camping at First Beach?"

Claire smiles slyly as she answers, "No, I told them I was at YOUR house!"

Hold up, I turn to Claire, "Quil took you camping?"

She nods, and Kim speaks up, "So…Did anything happen?"

Claire blushes, and looks down while Ang makes kissing noises at her. The rest of us crack up and after a minute or two Claire joins in too before she replies, "Nothing too serious, I know that he's my soul mate and everything, but we're still young. Well, I am anyway, I know Quil is technically in his mid to late 20s but I'm still 16. I'm not ready for that yet."

I wrap my arm around her shoulder and lean in as I tell her, "That's nothing to be embarrassed about Claire, Quil will wait for you until _you_ are ready. Sam did for me."

She looks surprised as she asks, "You mean, that you had never?"

Shaking my head I answer, "Never before Sam. Had I been your age we probably would have waited a good bit longer also. I know that at 16 when I was dating a couple of guys back in Phoenix I wasn't ready for that."

Kim looks surprised as she asks, "You dated normal guys back in Phoenix?"

Laughing I nod, "Umm, yeah. My first boyfriend actually cheated on me because I wouldn't give it up. Then I dated a couple of guys who I was friendly with right up until I moved here."

Shanna asks, "Do you still talk to any of them?"

I tilt my head in thought, as I reply, "No. After I moved I completely lost touch with all my friends from down there. Most of the guys I was friends with have either gone on to community college, working full time, or they're in jail or rehab. I was kind of a wild child back then, I drank, I smoked, skipped school, partied, probably the only thing I _didn't_ do was fuck. The guys I was friends with were older, and even though they were good guys, I don't think we'd have much to talk about anymore, not to mention I think Sam would probably end up killing a couple of them."

We all laugh at that and go back to watching the movie.

****Time-skip the next morning SPOV****

Waking up in an empty bed for the first time since before Bella moved in with me is strange. Sighing I roll over to her side of the bed breathing in her scent from her pillows calms me right down. I hear a knock at the door, and Charlie pokes his head in, "Sam, it's time to get up son. We have to leave by about 10:00."

Nodding I reply, "Thanks, dad."

A smile twitches the corner of his lips as he says, "After today it's official."

He turns and I hear his footsteps go back out to the living room as I sit up on the edge of the bed. Today is the day that I officially marry Bella Swan, after today she'll really be Bella Uley. Smiling at that thought I get up and go in to take a shower.

I turn the water temp all the way to the hot side from where Bella has it, and I toss off my boxers before stepping under the powerful spray. The water feels warm as it sluices over me, and I think that steamy hot showers are the one thing I miss from being a normal human.

The guys and I had taken a long run around the Res and Forks last night before stopping over at First Beach and smoking 3 huge blunts between us. I had gotten home massively stoned, and Charlie had just chuckled, and said, "That's right boy, get it out of your system before the baby comes."

Finishing up I step out of the shower and wrap a towel around my waist, it's pretty much just there for decoration because the water evaporates almost as soon as I step out. I shave quickly, leaving my goatee, and go out into the bedroom.

Crossing over to my closet I grab out a pair of nice black pants and a black button down short sleeved shirt. I put the button down on over a white wife-beater and leave it open for now. Pulling the pants on I buckle my belt and go over to the dresser and pick up the rings. I had wanted to get Bella a ring that would match her engagement ring but she insisted on a plain white gold band to match the one I had picked out for myself.

Sticking the small box in my pocket I head out to the kitchen, J is sitting with Charlie, Embry, and my Dad. Paul was on the Collins job this morning, and J was going to go join him, I had laid down the law with Ms Collins, told her I was getting married and that I wasn't going to be back to work until next Monday so that Bella and I could have some semblance of a honeymoon. I told her that Paul, Jared, and Embry were more than capable of handling the work that needed to be done, and that she wasn't to call me unless it was absolutely necessary, hopefully she would listen.

Jared was supposed to come for the ceremony, but Kim was freaking out about him seeing her before their ceremony tonight, so as far as I know he was gunna go down and do some work and keep his mind off everything. I looked around and then turned to Josh, "Where's Chris?"

He smiles at me as he comes up and slaps me on the back, "She's helping Bella get ready. Charlie arranged for a judge friend of his to marry you guys at the small chapel up in Forks instead of going all the way to the courthouse in PA, it's still a civil ceremony, but he gets to give her away and it's slightly more ceremonial."

Charlie gets up, "Speaking of which, I should probably go over and see how Bella's doing. You guys are leaving at 10, Josh knows where you're going. We'll be leaving about 15 minutes after you."

He comes over to me and continues, "I couldn't have asked for a better man to take care of my baby girl. I just want you to know that I'm proud to be able to call you Son, Sam."

I give him a quick bro hug and whisper, "Thanks Dad. Really, thank you so much for giving me Bella, you know that she's everything to me."

He nods his eyes glistening with tears as he clears his throat and walks out the door. I sit down next to J and he slaps me on the back, "So you ready for this Sam?"

Laughing a little I reply, "Yeah, I mean, I'm marrying Bella! I've been ready for this since September."

My dad claps a hand on my shoulder, "I just want you to know how happy I am to be here for this Son. Thank you for giving me the chance to see you get married, we all know that you and Bella will have many years of happiness."

I put my hand over his, "Thanks Dad. I'm glad that you're here too. It really means a lot to me, I just wish that Mom could have been here too."

His eyes mist over and he squeezes my shoulder, "She is here Son, she's watching over you all the time. I know that she would be proud of you, I'm proud of you, and she would have loved Bella."

****Time skip BPOV****

We pull up at the little chapel in Forks and I look at my dad confused, "What are we doing here Dad?"

Dad's eyes are sparkling like a kid on Christmas morning, "Well I got a judge friend of mine, Judge Marin, to marry you guys here so that we wouldn't have to go all the way up to Port Angeles. This way it's kind of like a real wedding, you get to walk down the aisle and everything, but it's still very simple ceremony like you wanted."

I feel my eyes start to tear as I look at him in disbelief, "You mean, you're going to give me away like for real?"

He nods and I dab at the corners of my eyes with one of the tissues that I put in my small clutch purse. I smooth down my dress over my baby bump as my son starts to kick. I look at my dad, we may not have always been super tight, but I'm glad that we both took the time to change that. I may not have always dreamed of a big wedding, but knowing that I'm going to get to walk down the aisle, and have my dad give me away is a dream come true. I reach out and take his hand, "Thank you Daddy."

Dad leans over and pecks my cheek, "Baby girl you don't have to thank me. Now come on, lets get you married."

I get out of the car and fuss with the hem of my dress for a minute, I had chosen a white sundress that went to just below the knee, it was kind of retro looking with a square neckline, short cap sleeves, and a flare to the skirt. I had paired it with white ballet flats and a small white clutch. Christine and Kim had done my hair in a high ponytail and then used a large barrel curling iron to loosely curl the whole thing.

My dad comes around and takes my arm and leads me to the door of the chapel. He opens it and I gasp, with the exception of Jared the whole pack is here as are the imprints, Billy is sitting with Jake and Shanna, Embry's mom is sitting with Josh, Jared's parents, Paul's mom, even Old Quil is here.

I whisper to Dad, "Thank you Dad, it means a lot that they're all here."

He nods and I look straight ahead, Sam is standing there and he looks so handsome in his dress clothes, our eyes connect and the world falls away. I'm aware that I'm walking but all I see is Sam, it's like imprinting all over again, I can't look away.

I want to walk faster but I force myself to hold the pace that Dad is setting. Finally after what feels like forever we're standing in front of Sam. He takes my hand and shakes hands with my dad. Dad leans in and kisses me on the cheek before moving to stand next to Billy.

Sam walks me over in front of the judge, he's a kindly looking older man with grey hair and glasses. He smiles at me before he says, "Who gives this woman to be wed?"

Dad says, "I do, Charlie Swan."

The judge nods and continues, "I just want to say that I've never done this kind of wedding ceremony before, but my friend Charlie asked me for something a little more traditional than the usual courthouse fare; so if you'll all bare with me, I'm kind of winging it."

There's polite laughter and he continues, "Well we're here today to join Samuel Uley and Isabella Swan together in marriage. It's nice to see a young couple in love who has so much support from their family and friends."

He pauses for a moment, "Well, lets get down to it. Samuel, do you take Isabella to be your lawful wedded wife? Do you promise to love, honor, and cherish her? Forsaking all others? All the days of your life?"

Sam and I look deep into each others eyes and he says, "I do."

The judge smiles and turns to me, "And do you Isabella take Samuel to be your lawful wedded husband? Do you promise to love, honor, and cherish him? Forsaking all others? All the days of your life?"

I feel a huge smile on my face as I look deep into Sam's eyes and say, "I do."

Judge Marin asks Sam, "You have rings?"

Sam nods and takes them out of his pocket, he hands me his and I slip it on my thumb for safe keeping. Judge Marin goes on, "Okay well Samuel place the ring on Isabella's finger and say, 'I give you this ring as a sign of my love and fidelity'."

Sam places the ring on my finger, "Bella, I give you this ring, as a sign of my love and fidelity."

Judge Marin nods at me and I slip Sam's ring off my thumb and put it on his finger as I say, "Sam, I give you this ring, as a sign of my love and fidelity."

Judge Marin smiles and turns to the audience, "Does anyone here have any reason why this couple should not be wed?"

He waits a moment and then continues, "Very well! With the power vested in me by the state of Washington I now pronounce you husband and wife. Sam, you may kiss your bride."

Sam grabs me round the waist and presses his mouth to mine, I wrap my arms around his neck and kiss him back fiercely. A moment later he pulls back placing one last gentle kiss on my lips.

We turn and Judge Marin announces, "It's my pleasure to introduce to you for the first time as husband and wife; Mr. and Mrs. Samuel Uley"

The Pack goes nuts, they're cheering so loudly it's like a bomb went off. Sam guides me down from the altar and my dad and Josh are there to hug us. I turn to Sam, "Do we have to fill anything out? Sign anything?"

He shakes his head, "No, Embry and Kim signed the license before you got here, you and I both signed it before you left last night. Judge Marin will sign it and file it at the courthouse for us, and then we'll get a copy in the mail. Everything's official now."

I grab him again and kiss him and he lifts me up easily and carries me out of the chapel while everyone follows. I notice Kim with a camera in her hand taking pictures and I'm so thankful that someone is. We make it outside and Dad takes over, "Sam stand there with her. Lets get a family shot and then some shots with the Pack, and the girls."

I smile up at him as Dad, Embry, Josh, and Christine come to stand around us. Looking around I call out, "Kay! Come get in the picture, you're family too!"

She smiles and Josh whispers, "Thanks Bella."

She comes to stand beside him and we all smile as Kim takes a couple of shots. Everyone but Embry leaves and the other guys come in, Sam looks upset for a minute and I know he wishes Jared was here. Kim hands the camera to Rach and goes by us to go back inside. I look confused at Rach and she just smiles and says, "Just wait 2 minutes, we're waiting on Jared."

Just as she says his name Jared runs up and smacks Sam lightly on the back, "Did you really think I'd miss this? I was up by the organ so that Kim couldn't see. Lets take the picture quick and then Paul and I are gunna head over to Ms. Collins' place."

Sam smiles at him, "Thanks J. It means a lot."

Jared waves him off and the guys all do goofy poses around us as Rach takes the pictures. She gives the thumbs up and Jared runs off. Rach calls out, "Kim you can come out, he's gone!"

Kim comes back out and Sam reluctantly lowers me to the ground and says, "Rach give me the camera lets get just the girls."

We take a bunch more pictures and finally Sam says, "Okay I think that's enough pictures for today."

I nod in agreement and everyone makes their way back to the cars. I hug Billy, and my Dad before heading over to Sam's truck. We get in and he asks, "So how does it feel to be Mrs. Uley honey?"

I laugh, "It feels AMAZING! I'm so happy baby, and we got to have a real ceremony with all our family and friends, and that makes it even better!"

I scoot next to him on the bench seat and wrap my arms around his neck, "I love you Sam. So, so much, thank you for making a family with me."

He wraps an arm around my waist and starts the truck up, "Bella I should be the one thanking you! I don't know what I would do without you, and now with the baby coming it just it's so surreal, we're a family honey, a real family. You gave me that, so thank you."

He gets on the road, back to La Push, and home. We'll relax until Kim and Jared's ceremony tonight, enjoy the time just the two of us, before real life starts up again.

**A/N: Cutting this chapter here next chapter is going to be a time skip.**


	41. Family of All Kinds

**Disclaimer: Stephanie Meyer owns Twilight and all recognizable characters and situations contained therein. All original content in this story is mine unless otherwise credited. Story is rated M, and is only intended for readers aged 18 and over. Chapter contains mild drug use and a lemon!  
**

****Time skip Friday afternoon April 29th BPOV****

Standing in the middle of the spare room I frown, it's too small. There's no way that a crib, changing table, dresser, rocking chair, etc is going to fit in here. There's 1 small window, and the light barely comes in. All in all it's pretty depressing to be a baby's room.

Sam comes up behind me and wraps his arms around my waist clasping his hands over my baby bump, "What're you doin in here babe?"

I sigh, "Thinking that maybe I was a little hasty when I told you we couldn't add on right now. This room is too small for the baby Sam, what're we going to do?"

He strokes my stomach as he thinks quietly for a few minutes, before he says, "We're going to move in with Charlie, and I'm going to start on an extension. We'll use your bedroom. The guys and I will move your old twin bed out, and our bed over there. We'll start working on the renovations next week. Tell me what you want, and I'll make it happen."

Frowning with frustration, I tell him, "You can't baby, you have too much going on with the Collins job. You and the guys will kill yourselves trying to do both. I can't let you do that. What if we talk to Embry about moving his stuff into here? He hasn't been staying over as much the last little while, and he really only took the bigger room to begin with because Kim and Jared used this room more. Now they have their own place, and they hardly ever crash here anymore. I just don't want him to think that we're pushing him out! After the Collins job is finished we can talk about starting the renovations here."

Sam moves his hands to cup my shoulders comfortingly, "Bella, Embry knows you love him like a brother, he'd know that you weren't trying to push him out. We'll talk to him later today about it."

I nod, we were having a family dinner tonight over at Josh and Christine's so that we could use the beach. Embry would probably stop by during the day as well so there'd be plenty of time to talk about it without everyone listening.

Sam brushes my hair aside and plants tiny kisses on my mark making me shiver. He kisses up the side of my neck to my earlobe, taking it between his teeth and nibbling it gently.

Turning to face him I cup his face in my hands, "I love you. God, we have so much to do. The baby is going to be here before we know it. What are you thinking for the nursery?"

He pulls me close, "I don't want to talk about it right now, right now I just want to spend some quality time with my new wife."

He scoops me up in his arms and carries me carefully out of the guest room and into our bedroom. He lays me on the bed and I move to the center and stretch out. Sam slides his jeans down over his hips and lets them fall to the floor before he gets on the bed and lays down next to me.

Sam pulls me close against him, "You're happy, right?"

I roll over so that I'm facing him, "I'm **so** happy! Are you happy?"

He smiles, "I'm so beyond happy that it's not the right word."

Sam moves his hands to my bump briefly before moving them up to cup my breasts. I moan a little as the tingling pleasure rolls through me, but it's cut short as Sam's phone starts ringing. I groan a little in frustration, as I lay back on the bed.

Sam gets up and by the disgusted noise he makes I know that it's Ms. Collins. He picks it up, "Hello?"

I move the covers out from under me while Sam rolls his eyes listening to whatever it is she's saying before snapping, "No! I told you I wasn't available this week. I left you Paul's number, he's more than capable of doing whatever you may need. So if you need something done you're going to have to call _him_. I'll be back on the job Monday like we talked about. I have to go now."

She says something and he sighs, "Yes, I'll see you then. Bye."

Sam comes and lays down next to me again, he starts to touch me, and I yawn. He smiles, "Completely ruined the mood huh?"

I laugh a little, "No, it really didn't. Unfortunately little Sammy is demanding that momma have naptime. I'm sorry honey, I'll make it up to you later, I promise."

Sam looks into my eyes, "Little Sammy?"

I nod, "I thought we could give him my dad's name for a middle name though, so he wouldn't be a junior, but you guys are both the most important men in the world to me."

Sam pulls me to him and holds me tight, "I love that idea Bella. Samuel Charles Uley is a perfect name for him. It's so amazing, he's not even here yet and I can't even explain how much I love him. I love both of you, so much."

Snuggling in I whisper, "I love you too Sam, and little Sammy always kicks more when you talk to him, even when you touch my stomach, he just goes crazy. So it's safe to say he loves you probably just as much as you love him."

****Sam POV****

Bella turns to face the opposite direction and I wrap an arm around her waist putting my hand on her rounded belly and rubbing it gently. As usual Sammy starts kicking up a storm. After 10 minutes or so he calms down, and I realize that Bella has fallen asleep. I wrap her in the blanket and kiss the side of her forehead before getting out of bed.

Going out to the living room I sit down and turn the TV on and tune it to a Law & Order rerun. Taking my bowl out of the table stash I pack it up and take a hit. I exhale as Embry comes in my front door, "Hey Sam."

I nod at him, "Sup Bro."

He flops down on the couch, and I hit the bowl again as he answers, "Not much, just got off patrol, nothing to report."

I nod and pass him the bowl, "Good, good. So Bella and I decided on a name for the little guy."

He exhales and passes it back, coughing as he chokes out, "Awesome, what'd you decide on?"

I hit the bowl and pass it back to him. I exhale sitting back, "Samuel Charles."

He smiles, "No Jr huh?"

I shake my head, "Nope. It's more than fine with me though man. Though I'm not sure, she might change her mind between now and him getting here. She might decide to save Charlie's name for the next one."

Embry coughs and sputters, "Damn, Sam! Already you're thinking of knocking her up again?"

Laughing I answer, "I guess so. I mean I think after this we won't plan anything but with the mark and all there's nothing we can do about preventing it either."

He nods, "Yeah, I didn't think of that. Good point. What about this? Are you going to quit once he gets here?"

I shake my head, "I don't think so. Cut back, yeah. Stop smoking in the house, definitely. Quit completely, probably not."

He tilts his head at me, "How does Bells feel about that?"

I shrug, "She's the one who told me it was no big deal when we first found out she was pregnant. Obviously she's stopped, she's not foolish or reckless like that, but once he's older and weaned she'll probably even start up again providing she doesn't get knocked up again right away."

He nods, "That's cool. At least she's smart enough to know that if she smokes it while breastfeeding he'll get stoned too. What room are you guys going to put him in?"

Shrugging again, I answer, "I'm not sure yet. We were just talking about that before B went in to take her nap. I think the room that J and Kim used to use is just too small for everything we're going to want to put in there. At the same time though the other room is yours bro. I wouldn't ask you to give it up."

He scoffs, "Dude! This is **your** house! I really appreciate that you would keep that room for me but the little guy needs it more than I do. I can use the other room when I crash over. J and Kim haven't slept over here in months, and besides, they have their own place now. Plus, Bella is the best housekeeper ever, so I know she probably washes and changes the sheets every single time they're used."

Letting out a snort of laughter I tell him, "Even when they're NOT used she washes them once a week, she's a little obsessive about stuff like that. Do me a favor kid, and keep a lid on the name till we announce it, we haven't even told Charlie yet. You don't think Josh will be hurt or jealous do you?"

He shakes his head, "Nah man, Dad's so grateful that you're even letting him stick around to be a part of all of this that you could probably literally name the kid 'Josh Sucks' and he'd still be thrilled."

Laughing I hit the bowl again and tap the ashes out into an ash tray as I say, "Yeah, you're probably right. I'm glad he's around for this. I can't believe I'm saying it, but he's really proven to me that he truly cares about all of us. How are things with him and your mom?"

Embry smiles, "They're doing good, seem to be getting more serious. I'm pretty sure they're thinking of moving in together. Chris is talking about getting her own place, I think what would probably happen is that mom and I would move into their place by the beach, and Chris would take over our old house."

I nod, "You're cool with that? If you want you know you could move in here."

He laughs, "With a newborn baby, and wolf ears? You're out of your mind! I'd never get any sleep!"

Laughing I nod, "Yeah, you're probably right. Seriously though, are you cool with them getting more serious?"

He sits back and thinks for a few minutes, "Yeah, I really am. I mean, Dad's really stepped up, he treats her like gold, he works the program religiously, he's been going to meetings 3 times a week, and they both deserve to be happy. Though sometimes I wonder what would have happened if your mom had still been alive."

At that thought I pack the bowl again and take a hit. Coughing I pass it to him, "Shit, honestly Em I don't know. I don't think she would have taken him back, he put her through seven different kinds of hell, but I don't know. I don't think it's really worth thinking about as it's not something that will change or anything. It's like me thinking about what would have happened if Bella hadn't ever broken up with Cullen. She did, and she's with me, and that's not going to change."

He hits the bowl, and nods at me as we turn our attention to the television where Jack McCoy is getting ready to proceed with his closing statements.

****Time skip around 6:30 BPOV****

I finish getting dressed in comfy maternity pants and a light t-shirt, and Sam finds my slip on shoes and puts them down in front of me so that I can step into them without looking. It's not really necessary yet, but I really do appreciate it. He wraps a protective arm around my waist and guides me out to the truck.

Opening the door, he helps me into the seat before shutting it, and jogging around to his side. He gets in and we head out. It only takes about 3 minutes to get to his dad's place.

I see that the cruiser is already in the drive, along with Embry's mothers little Toyota. Sam parks behind Dad and comes to open the door for me. He helps me out and Dad comes around to greet me, "Bella!"

He pulls me into a hug before stepping back to put a hand on my t-shirt covered baby bump. My back is aching and I just want to sit down. The baby kicks at my dads hand and the smile that lights up his face just makes my day. Dad takes my arm and leads me through to the yard. I'm shocked to find an armchair in the yard. Dad leads me over to it, and Josh comes out, "Bella! I see you've found your throne. I wanted you to be comfortable, I remember how bad Samantha's back ached with Sam, so I'm guessing you're not feeling so hot."

I smile at him, "You've got that right, my back is throbbing! Thank you so much Josh!"

Christine comes out, "What kind of ache Bella? Does it feel like normal muscle strain?"

Nodding at her, "Yeah, it's just uncomfortable, it's not too severe, just a dull throb, like I slept all wrong."

Her face clears, and she smiles, "Okay, good. Just checking. Sorry I think I'm going into hover mode with the rest of the family."

Laughing I sit down in the chair. Dad fluffs the pillows behind my back as Kay comes out of the house with a platter loaded down with food and sets it on the table. Sam starts to make me a plate, as Kay comes over to me, "Bella, honey you are absolutely glowing! Being pregnant and a wife definitely agrees with you."

I smile at her, "Thank you!"

Sam brings my plate over and hands it to me. The ground lurches as he and Embry move the chair with me in it closer to the table. They lower the chair to the ground and I pretend to gag, "Well now that my morning sickness wants to make a comeback! Thanks you guys."

Sam looks at me with alarm and I laugh. He rolls his eyes, "Don't make jokes Bella! I was really worried for a minute!"

Smiling at him I grab his tee and pull him down so that I can place a firm kiss, "It was just a joke baby. I'm fine. Just warn me the next time you guys are going to pick me up and move me okay?"

He kisses me gently for a minute before pulling back, "Okay."

My Dad claps him on the back, "So have you given any more thought to the discussion we had the other day?"

Sam nods, "We've talked about it a bit, Bella still insists that I finish out the Collins' job. Embry and I talked this morning and we decided that we'll move his stuff into the smaller guest room and the baby will take his room. It's more than big enough for all the baby stuff."

Dad nods and Christine asks me, "So Bella, how are you feeling? Really?"

Laughing I take another bite of food, and reply, "Tired, and fat, I know that I'm not, that it's all the baby, but I already feel huge and I can't even imagine how big I'll be by the time he's ready to come out! Also thrilled, and freaking TERRIFIED!"

Everyone laughs and Sam reaches over to pat my arm, "Bella everyone here knows just how good a mom you're going to be. I mean you're already pack mom, so just like you told me, if nothing else you've got the teenage years down cold! Plus, just so you know, I think you're absolutely gorgeous."

I can't help but smile at him, with Sam by my side I know that I can do anything.

****Sam POV****

We all eat in relative silence just enjoying each other's company for a while when Josh clears his throat, "So uh, Kay and I have been talking… and we're thinking about moving in together. There's been something that I've been thinking about lately though, and since we're all together I guess now's a good time to bring it up."

He turns to Embry, "Son, I was wondering how you would feel about taking my name. I know that your momma raised you, and she did a damn fine job of it, but the Uley name means something in the tribe, I want you to have the benefits of it the same as your brother. It would mean a lot to me. I want everyone to know that you're my boy, Embry. No more wondering, no more speculation."

Embry's eyes mist over, and his breath catches in his throat, "I, I'd really like that, as long as mom is okay with it."

Kay smiles, "It's okay with me, who knows, maybe someday down the line your dad and I will make it legal and I'll have it too."

My dad looks like he could burst with happiness, "I'm so glad that you want to Son, your mom and I will start all the paperwork and get it taken care of as quick as we can."

We go back to eating and a couple of minutes later Christine asks, "So Sam, have you guys talked about possible names?"

I look at Bella and she shrugs, and gives me a go ahead gesture. I swallow what's in my mouth and reply, "Well, we were talking about it earlier and we're thinking about Samuel Charles."

Charlie inhales sharply and coughs as his eyes fill up with tears. He looks at me, "I would be so honored for my grandson to have my name you guys, but are you sure you don't want him to be a junior?"

Bella considers for a minute, "Well, I don't know. I guess we could use Dad's name for the next one."

Charlie's eyes widen, "It's a little soon to be thinking about the next one, isn't it honey?"

She laughs, "Yeah I guess you're right. Definitely hoping to have a little downtime between this little guy and his future brother or sister, unfortunately there's nothing we can really do to prevent it anymore so I guess I've just accepted that we're going to have a big family."

I shrug, "It's whatever you want baby, whether he's Samuel David, or Samuel Charles I'll love him just the same. You're the one that has to carry him, and then deliver him, so it's your choice."

Bella laughs again, "Thanks honey, but you're a part of this too. After all, you're going to be the one holding my hand and letting me scream at you and probably break a couple of bones in your hand while I'm laboring."

I laugh, and Christine fixes me with a look, "She's not joking either Sam. I've seen laboring mothers break finger bones, hand bones, even **wrists** during labor. Especially natural childbirth."

I feel my face pale, "N, natural childbirth? Bella are you insane?"

She levels me with a glare, "It's insane that I don't want my child to be born with drugs running through his system? It's insane that I don't want to be drugged out of my own head when he comes into this world? No Sam, I'm not insane, I just want to really experience it."

Christine's eyes are dancing with mirth, and she can't even help but laugh, "Don't worry Sam, I'll have an anesthesiologist on hand just in case she changes her mind. I'm not doubting you Bella, but I've seen a lot of women change their mind about having a natural birth experience after they've gone through a couple of big contractions."

Mainly I'm thinking about the imprint connection. Will I feel the pain from the birth? God I hope not. Dad flexes his hand in front of him, "You know Sam, when you were born your mother broke 4 of the bones in the middle of my hand. At least you have that enhanced healing so you'll be good to go in what? 20 minutes after it happens? I was in a cast for 6 weeks afterwards. I got to hold you when you were born but after that I had to wait till the cast came off to get any real time with you. Your mother wanted to do it natural as well. She made it through too. Not one drop of painkillers ever entered her bloodstream. That woman was a warrior. I wish that I had been able to be at Chris and Embry's births as well. I'll never forgive myself for everything I missed."

Christine reaches over, and pats his hand, "Dad, you're trying to make up for it now, that's all we can ask for, and you've really stepped up. We're all doing our best and that's all we can do."

I reach out and put a hand on his shoulder, "I want you to know that I really am happy that you're here Dad. I know that I had the most reservations, and even though they were valid ones, I really admire that you've stuck to your word, and that you've really put in the effort to develop a relationship with us."

He smiles at me, "I'm happy to be here Son. I don't think anything could make me happier than to be here for you as you start on the best adventure of all. Just be glad you're having a boy to start with. I can tell you from experience that raisin' a teenaged girl is no picnic."

Turning towards Chris, he laughs, "Remember the time I caught you sneakin that boy into your room?"

She blushes, "Oh my God, yes! Johnny McAlister, I thought he was going to have a heart attack when you burst into the room!"

We all laugh, and I say, "Yeah, I'm definitely thankful for the boy first. Hopefully we have a couple of boys before we get a girl. This way she'll have lots of protectors."

Bella snorts, "Christ, Sam, how many more protectors could one little girl need? Is a whole pack of werewolves not enough? God I don't even want to picture that! You all wouldn't even need shotguns to intimidate boys!"

I laugh, "Oh please, come on Bella, like you and the girls will be any easier on whatever poor girl your son's bring home?"

Christine laughs, "So what do you guys hope that Kim and Jared will have?"

Hrm, that's a good question. Considering for a moment, I reply, "Definitely a boy. Little Sammy needs a best friend."

Bella shrugs, "It would be nice if they had a boy, but a girl would be nice too, who knows maybe they would grow up and fall in love. That would certainly be interesting. I'm just glad that all the guys have imprinted. Could you imagine one of them imprinting on our baby? So not cool. I mean I know it wouldn't be like _that_, it's just so creepy to imagine that you would raise the child like a daughter or sister, and then that dynamic would change. I mean eww, just the age difference alone would be too much."

Everyone nods, I had never thought of that, but I guess it technically _was_ possible. Bella's right, thank God we had all imprinted.

****Time skip Bella POV****

We get back to the house around 9 in the evening. Settling on the sofa Sam wraps his arms around me, and I snuggle in. I turn to look at him, and he leans in and presses his lips to mine. His lips are soft and firm, and the stubble surrounding them scratches lightly against my skin.

I moan quietly into his mouth, and he deepens the kiss for a minute before pulling back, "We're about to have company."

As soon as the words come out of his mouth Jared, and Paul come in the front door. I'm a little surprised to see them without Kim and Rachel, "Hey you guys, what's up?"

Jared looks a little nervous, "Umm, can we borrow Sam, Bella?"

I laugh a little, "He doesn't _belong_ to me. Ask him if you want him to go somewhere with you."

Jared smiles, "Sam, you wanna come take a run with us? Maybe bring some weed and smoke a blunt out in that meadow we found?"

Sam considers for a minute, "Sure, sounds good. We haven't done that in a while."

****Sam POV****

I pull Bella to me and kiss her deeply for a minute. Paul and J whoop embarrassingly as we break apart. Ignoring them I whisper in her ear, "Don't go to sleep on me, maybe take an hour nap so that you'll be up when I get home."

She shivers and turns to plant a light kiss on my neck, "Sounds good. I think I'll take a nice bubble bath after my nap. How long do you think you'll be out?"

Paul answers ripping us out of our little bubble, "We'll have him back by midnight the latest Bells. We wanna get home to our girls too. Maybe we could make this a weekly thing, us guys go out for a run, and you and the girls can have a girls night?"

Bella nods, "That sounds like a good idea, it gives us all time to spend with our friends on our own so that we're not completely up each other's butts all the time. Don't get me wrong, Sam, I love to spend time with you, but we all need space and time to do things with just our friends too."

I nod, "Don't worry babe, I get it. I'll be back a little later. Jake's on patrol around the Res until around 11, and then Quil comes on. If you need me call for one of them and they'll give me a shout on the ol' wolf phone."

She laughs, and I open the table stash and grab out the bag of weed and a peach blunt wrap, and follow the guys out the back door. Bella had gotten me a drawstring bag to attach to the rubber band that we use to secure our shorts to our legs when we're in wolf form so that I could keep my cell phone or other small things. I put the weed and the wrap in the bag and attach it to the rubber band before stripping off my shirt and leaving it on the small table on the porch.

Following J, and Paul to the tree line I slide my shorts down and strap them to my leg with the rubber band before I take a deep breath and phase.

Jake thinks, '_Sam? What are you doing? Everything okay?'_

I think back at him, '_It's all good kid, Paul, J and I are just going for a run. Do you think you can keep a tight perimeter around my place, and J's? Just in case Kim or Bell need something?'_

J thinks at him, '_I'd really appreciate it if you could do that Jake, Kim says she's been feeling off all day, she thinks something might be wrong. I didn't want to leave her but she basically threw me out, told me she needed space without me hovering all over her.'_

I interject, '_J, man, why didn't you tell us? I'll phase back and call Chris for her.'_

He sighs, '_I don't want anyone to worry, the baby's heartbeat is strong, everything is normal as far as I can tell, honestly I think she's just scared. Her momma had 2 miscarriages before she had her, and has been filling her head with a lot of paranoid nonsense. She's practically got her afraid to walk around! And forget about sex! We haven't been together that way since after she had her first doctor's appt for the pregnancy.'_

Letting out a breath I shake my head a little, '_That's crap man, nothing you do in the normal scheme of things is going to turn a good pregnancy bad, or a bad pregnancy good. It's just the way it is. She's not having any bleeding or anything is she?'_

He thinks back no, and I continue, '_She's past the first trimester now, get her to talk to Chris, she'll reassure her. Past the first trimester the danger is pretty minimal, if it was going to go bad it would have already.'_

Paul breaks in, '_Personally I don't know how either of you is this calm. If it was me I'd be freakin out 24/7!_'

I laugh, '_It's all perspective Paul, I think if we didn't have the wolf ears we probably would be freakin out 24/7. Every time I start to worry hardcore though I zero in on the baby's heartbeat weaving its pattern in and around Bella's. You have no idea man, you think the Imprint bond is calming? Wait till Rach gets pregnant, you'll see then.'_

He laughs a bit, '_yeah, no rush though, right?'_

We run through the woods at break neck pace in silence, each of us in his own head. I can hear Jake's thoughts vaguely in the back of my head, the whole thought blocking thing is something that Paul, Jared, and I had all had enough practice with that it worked approximately 60 percent of the time.

It takes us about a half hour to make our way to the meadow. It's a beautiful place, we had stumbled upon it just before I met Bella. It had reeked of Cullen, and there had been a slight lingering of Bella that I hadn't known was her at the time. I guess he had taken her there at some time or other.

Phasing back we put our shorts on, and I take the pack of wraps out of the bag. The bag of weed that I had grabbed was an eighth of pre-ground buds. Jared had brought a flashlight not that with our eyesight we really needed it but for the purpose of rolling the blunts it would probably help.

He tosses it to me and I kneel in front of a tree stump setting the blunt wrap and the bag of weed on it. J holds the flashlight for me while Paul runs around and gathers up a bunch of wood to make a fire.

The grass is moist so there's no real worry of a fire getting out of hand, and there's a bucket next to the stump which tells me that J or Paul had come out earlier and put it there which would make it much easier to put the fire out with water from the stream that ran through the woods about 10 yards away. Paul comes back and starts setting up the wood for the fire.

Raising the half rolled blunt, I tighten the roll, and lick the edge to seal it up before placing it back on the stump, and moving on to the second wrap. I roll the second one quickly and seal it as Jared laughs, "Those are monster, Dude. We're gonna be fuckin blitzed!"

He hands me a small twig which I use to pack the ends of the blunts, clipping some of the overhang off the second one with my teeth I pop it between my lips, and Paul tosses me a lighter, "Here."

Catching the lighter one handed I light the blunt taking a deep drag on it, as I turn to sit cross legged on the ground about 3 feet from where Paul has finally got the wood exactly the way he wants it. He looks up, "Yo, Sam, toss me the lighter. J, grab the lighter fluid!"

Jared goes over to the stump and takes out a small bottle of lighter fluid from the bucket I saw earlier. I toss Paul the lighter, and turn to J, "Grab the other blunt off the stump for me?"

He nods and grabs it before coming to sit about a foot and a half away from me. Paul douses the wood liberally with the accelerant before closing the container and tossing it over by the stump. He finds a small stick and lights the end before carefully tossing it on top of the lighter fluid soaked pile of wood which goes up with a whoosh.

Paul sits down on my other side as I pass Jared the lit blunt. He hands the unlit one to Paul who lights it and takes a deep drag off of it and passes it to me as Jared hands him off the other one, establishing the cycle.

****Time skip BPOV****

I jolt awake as Ozzy Osbourne screams the opening line of Crazy Train from my phone on the bed next to my pillow. Grabbing for it I turn the alarm off, 11:00. I had lain down around an hour and a half ago hoping to get at least an hours nap. I stretch lightly as I sit up on the side of the bed.

I had something special in mind for Sam. Rachel had gotten me maternity lingerie as a kind of gag wedding gift but it was actually something that was really going to come in handy. It was a babydoll nightie, the bust part was sheer lace with a small ruffle trim along the scoop neckline, and a blue satin bow beneath the bust, it had white satin spaghetti straps accented with little blue satin bows. Underneath the blue bow flowed white satin that was open in the front so that my belly could peak through, and it came with a white satin thong.

The night of our wedding we couldn't be bothered with lingerie, or anything other than just each other. Tonight I wanted us both to have that first night experience complete with the sexy outfit.

Pulling the outfit out of the drawer I bring it into the bathroom and place it on the vanity. I turn the water on letting it go just a little warmer than the luke warm I usually favor. Setting the stopper, I squirt a generous dollop of my body wash under the running water and watch as it foams up filling the bathroom with the cotton candy and vanilla scent of it.

Taking my clothes off I put them in the hamper and grab two towels out of the cabinet. I put one on the floor and the other on the lid of the hamper as I sit down on the closed toilet lid and watch the tub fill up.

****Sam POV****

Jared, Paul, and I are laughing hysterically at nothing laying side by side on the grass, our arms up behind our heads watching the stars and workin on the second blunt. My head is swimming, Paul gets up swaying on his feet, "Dude, it's like 11:15, we should probably head back."

I shrug, "Yeah, you're probably right. This was really fun you guys, thanks for thinking of it."

Jared laughs, "Awww, Sammy! We love you too man!"

We all laugh, I stand up and feel like I'm floating, I haven't been this stoned since the night before the wedding, and before that it had been a while. With Bella and the imprint, the need to smoke to unwind had lessened considerably. At least tonight I was going home to my wife, and not an empty bed.

Paul takes the bucket from beside the stump and disappears into the woods. I sit back down, and look up at the stars, drifting off inside my head until I hear the hiss of water being poured over the flames.

I get up and help him stir the ashes staring at the dying embers. We turn our backs on each other and I strip my shorts off, attach them to my ankle, and phase. I think, '_Quil? How's it going?'_

He thinks back, '_All quiet on the homefront. Nothin to report.'_

That's a relief. I think back at him, '_Aight, well, finish your round and you can head on home.'_

Running through the woods as fast as we can it takes about a half hour to get back to my house. I phase back quickly, and pull my shorts on, while Paul, and J do the same. Turning back to my friends we exchange friendly shoulder slaps, and I tell them I'll see them tomorrow.

They go out the back gate and I grab my shirt off the back table and head in through the back door. The house is quiet, still, and utterly silent except for the heartbeats of Bella, and the baby. Heading through the living room to the hall I turn and make my way down to the bedroom.

I open the bedroom door slowly, the light is flickering and I see about 50 small candles scattered about the tops of the dresser and the nightstands, the soft glow reflects off the mirror on top of the dresser and illuminates the room. I turn my attention to the bed and find it empty.

Confused, and feeling more than a bit spacey, I turn towards the bathroom, "Bell? Honey?"

The bathroom door slowly opens and I swear my heart stops for a moment. My wife, my everything, my Bella stands framed in the doorway of the bathroom illuminated by the flickering candlelight in the room as well as a couple of candles on the bathroom vanity behind her.

My breath catches in my throat as I take her in, her hands are on her hips as she nonchalantly poses against the door. She looks like an angel, the nightie leaves very little to the imagination, her breasts strain against the sheer lace of the bust and I feel myself getting hard.

There are little blue bows at the shoulders and around where the lace meets white satin, the satin flows off to the sides revealing the crown of her baby bump, and I can see she's wearing a tiny white satin thong.

She takes a step forward and I try to regain control of my body. Bella stands in front of me and puts her hand on my cheek, "Sam? Babe, are you okay?"

I clear my throat sharply, and swallow thickly before I manage to choke out, "I, I, I'm more than fine Bell. You look, so fucking amazing Bella. You just, you fuckin take my breath away."

Reaching out I grab a hold of her hips in my hands and pull her to me, holding on to her like a drowning man holding on to a piling in the middle of a storm tossed sea, I fuse my mouth to hers. I lift her easily and her legs wind around my waist as her hands tangle into my hair tugging sharply as our kiss becomes more frantic. Her tongue wars with mine as she moans into my mouth.

****Bella POV****

Sam turns and sits on the bed with me still in his arms as his mouth travels down my neck until he's covering my mark and swabbing his tongue over it as I moan and arch against him.

Turning he lays me on the bed, his mouth continuing it's journey down over the lace. His breath tickles as he blows through the lace over my left nipple, which stiffens up into a taught bud. He smiles up at me before latching his mouth onto it through the lace and a breathy moan escapes me.

He sucks on it lightly and swirls his tongue around it while gently kneading my other breast with his hands. The heat is intense, all I can feel or smell is Sam, I want to consume him, feel him, touch him, taste him, so I tangle my hands in his hair and tug him up so that I can bring his lips back to mine. The taste of his mouth, and the feel of his tongue sliding over mine while his hands knead and caress my breasts makes me moan continually into his mouth.

He pulls back, and I groan, "Please, Sam, I need to…"

Sam smiles at me wickedly, "You need to what baby?"

I pull at his hair, "I need to feel you, all of you, I can't. I want to touch you, taste you."

He moves one hand up to my face and cradles it as he brings his mouth back down on mine his tongue tangling with mine as I take great heaving breaths through my nose, greedily inhaling the smell of his skin.

We continue this way for a minute when I realize he's still fully dressed. Pulling away I grip the edge of his shirt and pull it up and over his head, tossing it away before bringing my hands to his shoulders and rubbing them over his skin down his arms, back up, over his perfectly formed pecs, down over his abs, and around to bring them up over his rippling back muscles.

Sam takes hold of the nightie and lifts it carefully up and over my head before tossing it aside. He puts his hands on my shoulders and gently pushes me down so that I'm laying back on the pillows.

His hands run over my shoulders, down my arms, and then over my swollen stomach, and back up to my engorged breasts, all the while my own hands are running up and down his muscular arms, our touches are gentle, and loving, but at the same time somehow urgent.

His hands caress me tenderly, and the emotions overwhelm me for a minute. Even though every other minute of my day I feel huge and distorted, when Sam looks at me or touches me, he makes me feel like I'm the only woman in the world.

I tangle my hands in his hair again, and bring him against me, as I whisper against his neck, "I love you Sam. So much I don't even know how to describe it."

He pulls back, looking deep into my eyes, "You don't have to describe it Bell, I can feel it, every time you touch me, every time you kiss me, I can feel your love. I know that I don't have to tell you this, but I love you too, so much that it shouldn't even be possible. I can't even begin to explain it to you, but I can show you."

He bends his head down and kisses me tenderly, this kiss isn't frantic, it's soft and loving, more so than any other kiss that I've ever experienced, it really is as if he's taken every ounce of his love and infused it into this slow, thorough kiss.

Breaking the kiss he continues down my neck placing hot open mouthed kisses every few inches, lightly sucking the skin until he works his way down to my breasts. Sam swirls his tongue lightly around my nipple and I moan. He sucks gently on it while his other hand strokes lightly up and down my body.

Finally he grazes his hand down over my belly and strokes down to rub my pussy through the thin satin panties. My hips arch, as I moan his name, "Sam, please!"

Sam strokes me lightly through the panties and I know that he can tell just how much he affects me. He continues kissing down my body, over my bump, until he's down by my center. He rubs his face lightly over my panty clad mound and I hear as well as feel him inhale, before he whispers in his gravelly sex voice, "you smell so fucking good Bella."

Spreading my legs I can't help but thrust my hips towards his face. He grabs the sides of the thong and pulls them slowly down over my hips and down my legs, finally taking it and tossing it aside.

He settles back between my legs and dips a finger into my folds as he plants small kisses on my inner thighs. Moaning as he runs it up and down grazing my swollen clit with each stroke, I arch my back, crying out, "Sam, please!"

Sam blows hot air lightly over my pussy holding me lightly by my hips as they make little twitches, minute thrusts towards his face. He plants small kisses all around the outside of my pussy before covering my mound with his mouth, his tongue strokes through my folds flicking from side to side as it moves up to circle around my clit.

My breath catches, and a moan turns into a plea, "_Yes_! _Please_! _Saaam_! **Right there**. _Don't stop_!"

His tongue dips down to my entrance, delving into it. My muscles contract, pulling at his tongue as he coaxes out more of my juices. Sam's tongue flattens and he sweeps it up and over my clit as I thrust against his face moaning out his name. Wrapping his lips around my nub he sucks lightly as his tongue flicks over the tip, and I spasm crying out in pleasure as my hand grips the back of his head holding him in place and I pant, "Fuck, fuck, right there Sam, don't stop. Fuck, don't stop!"

The pressure increases as he sucks harder, and the pleasure amps up a notch as his tongue flicks faster feather light, to firm caresses of his hot mouth on my soaking wet slit. I can hear myself moaning and screaming out incoherent pleas and curses as he brings me right to the edge and finally pushes me over with a single rough graze of his teeth over my swollen clit.

Tangling my hands in his hair and pulling him harder against me I scream and cum against his face. The pleasure turns almost painful, and I pull him up by his hair. He moves back up my body till he's nestled between my thighs. He grasps his dick at the base, and rubs it through my folds circling the head around my oversensitive clit before lining it up with my entrance.

Moaning, I thrust my hips up and moan louder as he sinks into me. My moan almost sounds like a groan and he tenses a little and rolls off of me, asking in a worried voice, "Are you okay?"

I groan in frustration, "I _was_ **fanfreakintastic** two freakin seconds ago!"

Smirking, he grabs me roughly and kisses me, letting me taste myself on his tongue, as he pulls me on top of him, "This way. I don't want to put too much weight on you."

Straddling his hips he places his hands on mine, and guides me down onto his hot hardness. I moan uncontrollably getting louder and louder as Sam brings me down slowly until finally his thick length is buried deep inside me.

Locking my eyes with his I raise myself up slowly until just the head is still inside of me, stretching me open as my pussy spasms around him. Throwing my head back with a throaty moan I start undulating my hips, thrusting down and back up sharply, eliciting a low growl in Sam's throat.

He grips my hips tighter and his voice is low and gravelly as he moans out, "Fuck, so fuckin good baby."

Sam's hands on my hips guide me as my hips roll and I let out a shuddering scream as he suddenly thrusts upward into me.

****Sam POV****

Looking up at my beautiful wife as she comes undone around me all gentleness is gone as I thrust up into her faster twice more, building her cries to screams as her hair whips wildly around her face as she throws back her head and lets out another gasping scream of pleasure and her pussy clamps tight around me as she goes over the edge again.

She's all I can see, all I can smell, the scent of her pleasure combined with the sweetness of her skin. A bead of sweat trickles down her neck over her swollen breasts, and I reach up to lick it off, the smell her drives me insane and I pull her roughly against me wincing a little as I feel her swollen abdomen connecting with my abs.

Not wanting to hurt her I tense up, Bella practically growls at me as she grits out, "Sam if you stop I swear to God!"

Cutting her off I fuse my lips to hers as she catches a rhythm thrusting her hips against me but it's not enough, the sight of her round with my child, flushed from orgasm, the smell of our passion all around me, that low current of electricity flowing through us intensified as our pleasure grows and I have to take her.

The Wolf, has to take her. I bite her lip hard enough to draw a pleasured gasp just before I break away and carefully flip her over. Bella raises herself up on her hands and knees as I grasp her hips firmly, lining my now almost painfully swollen cock up with her entrance and thrusting my hips forward, sinking myself into her with one fluid movement moaning as my hands slide up her sides and around to cup her swollen breasts.

She moans as I thumb her swollen nipples roughly squeezing and fondling her breasts, pulling her up and pinning her back to my chest and rolling my hips with every thrust as they get faster and more urgent.

My frenzy increases as I hold her tight to me one arm slung over her chest, latched onto the firm softness of her tit as the other moves down, circling over the pregnant belly as everything starts to crash over me. Bella's head thrashes from side to side as she cries out, her pleasure building and her hair moving, uncovering her mark.

Burying my face in the crook of her neck I inhale the scent, my scent from the mark mixing with the scent of Bella's skin, the feel of her body swollen with my child in my arms, the taste of her sweat on her skin as my mouth latches onto her neck.

She screams again as she tightens around me, spasms of pleasure coursing through her as I fall over the edge with her and the Wolf comes to the surface and clamps his teeth into the Mark as her cries of pleasure reach a crescendo and I give three sharp thrusts as I spurt into her and lick the wound shut, sealing that bit of myself into her skin as she goes limp in my arms.

Falling forward I roll to the side and wrap the sheet over us as I cradle her to my chest planting tiny kisses on her mark as I whisper against her ear, that I love her, and sliding into unconsciousness completely sated, and at peace.

**A/N:** **I just want to apologize for how long this chapter took to get up! I know it's been a while and that I've been neglecting this story. Hopefully you guys enjoy, and I swear I'll try extra hard to get another chapter up for you guys much sooner than it took to get this one up!**


	42. Authors Note

**Okay, so I know a lot of you will be disappointed but this is not an update! I have gotten a bunch of messages and reviews asking when I'm going to update so I figured it's a good time to put an author's note up and address the questions.**

**I am NOT abandoning my stories, I still work on them every chance I get, unfortunately I also have a job and leading up to the holidays I was working about 59 hours a week with one day off. Basically I slept, worked, ate, slept. I also have a husband and what little free time I had was spent with him. **

**So unfortunately my updates have been coming along but very slowly. I just want to reassure everyone that my stories are not being abandoned, I will NOT leave them unfinished, and I have NOT forgotten about them. Sometimes we just don't have enough hours in the day to do everything we would like to do, but now that Christmas is over I'm expecting my hours to get cut and hopefully I will get an update up to you all soon!**

**~DGS**


	43. Ch 42: Secrets Revealed

**Disclaimer: Stephanie Meyer owns Twilight and all recognizable characters and situations contained therein. All original content in this fic is property of the author. Story is rated M, and is not intended for readers under the age of 18!**

**A/N: Okay, wow, I know that it's been a long time since I updated this story, I hope you guys even still want to read it! Also, I hate to say it, but I think we're getting closer to the end of this story folks. It's been over a year, and this is the 42nd chapter so I guess maybe it's getting to be around that time. I would guess that we'll get up to a total of 50 chaps including an epilogue and a future-take or two. **

****Time skip June 25th Sam POV****

Sitting on the recliner with Bella on my lap is one of my favorite places to be, definitely the way to spend a Friday afternoon. LPH is in finals week, and Bella had her last final on Wednesday. Graduation was tomorrow, and my girl was going to walk with her head held high. I rub my hands over her now very noticeable belly and my son starts kicking at my hands.

She smiles, plants a kiss on my neck making me shiver, and puts her hands over mine. The rest of the guys are in the midst of a Halo tournament, surprisingly Claire and Angela were hanging out with us today too. Jared had gone with Kim and Rachel to the mall to get some new maternity clothes for Kim, and while Bella had wanted to go with them she had been really tired and run down from finals this week, and I insisted that she stay home, and stay off her feet today so that she'd be rested for tomorrow. My phone rings shrilly and I look down at it and groan, "God damn it! I knew she wouldn't give me the whole weekend uninterrupted!"

Bella pulls herself up off my lap and goes out the back door in a huff, as I go into the bedroom to take the call. The guys' tournament is in full swing, and they have the TV blaring to a point where it hurts my ears.

****Bella POV****

I storm onto the back porch and sit down on the porch swing in a huff. That fucking woman, it's no secret she wants Sam, and even though I know he hates her almost as much as I do it still eats at me. I know I've only gained 20 pounds, which at 28 and a half weeks into my pregnancy is right around average according to Christine, even a little less, but I feel huge, and even though it's all in my uterus, I know that I'm only going to keep getting bigger and bigger.

I asked Paul once what Miss Collins looked like, and he had made the mistake of telling me that she was hot, but in an old way. He assessed her age at about 30 and while that was much older than me it wasn't really that much older than Sam's actual age, and even closer to his physical age. I can hear the guys playing Halo and the TV is so loud I can barely hear myself think. I go down into the yard trying to escape the sound of gunfire and that's when I hear something else.

Looking around me, I know I can't possibly be hearing what I think I'm hearing. There's just no way. Peering into the woods, I try to assess just how far in the sound is coming from. Why would there be a crying child in the woods? Listening intently the sound gets louder, shit, what if it's a little kid? Like a toddler who wandered in when no one was looking and is now lost?

I should probably get Sam. Or go inside and grab one of the guys. It would only take a minute, but that's a minute where this kid could fall into a pit or hurt him or herself badly. If it were my child, would I want someone to hesitate?

I know Sam will be pissed at me if I just walk into the woods so I walk to the edge of the woods, take a deep breath, and call out, "Hello? Is anyone out there? Do you need help?"

Then I hear it, a very small voice calling out, "Lo? Mama? Where Mama? Want Mama!"

The crying starts again, louder this time, and I call out, "Honey can you come towards my voice? Come this way."

The crying pauses, the child's voice is alarmed as he yells, "Help! Mama!"

I look back at the house one last time before walking under the first trees. I stop and listen as the crying comes again, and I follow the sound down the path and into the darkness of the forest.

****Meanwhile, Sam POV****

Hanging up with Ms. Collins I go back into the living room. Embry looks up, "What's going on?"

Sighing I reply, "I have to go up into Forks. Apparently she thought she'd fuck around with the plumbing and somehow busted like 3 pipes and it's a fucking disaster. I really can't stand this lady. Where's B?"

Em grimaces a little before answering, "I think she's still sulking outside. You might want to just go, I'll tell her when she comes back in."

Shaking my head I say, "Nah, that'll just piss her off more."

I open the back door, but Bella's not on the porch, and I don't see her anywhere. Going back inside I ask Em, "You didn't hear her leave the yard did you?"

The guys all shake their heads and Embry says, "She probably just walked over to Charlie's Sam. We couldn't hear much of anything over the tv."

I know he's probably right, but I go to argue with him when my phone rings again. Looking down I see that it's Emily again, and I sigh, "Okay. I hate to do this, but I really have to go, just do me a favor and if she's not back in like 10, 15 minutes go over to Charlie's and let her know I'm going to be gone for a while alright?"

He nods and the rest go back to their Halo game. I go out and get into my car, the phone rings again and I pick it up and snap, "I'm on my way, Emily!"

I hang up and turn the damn thing off not wanting to be bothered with her bullshit until I absolutely have to be. I'm halfway up to Forks when I feel a sharp jolt of pain from the imprint connection. Waiting a minute to see if it comes again I debate turning around. It was just the one sharp jolt, and I pass it off as one of the leg cramps she's been getting a lot lately, and keep going.

****Charlie POV about 20 mins later****

The game is on and the Mariners are whooping the Yankees asses when there's a knock on my door and Embry walks in talking, "Bella I know you're going to be pissed but Sam had to go up to For…"

He cuts off as he realizes I'm the only one here, and finishes lamely, "ks"

He turns his eyes on me and asks, "Uh, Chief? Where's Bells?"

I arch an eyebrow at him and reply, "She hasn't been here, isn't she over with you guys?"

Embry's eyes go wide with alarm, and he exclaims, "Oh, _**SHIT**_! Call Sam!"

I start to ask questions and he cuts me off, "RIGHT NOW CHARLIE! CALL SAM! TELL HIM BELLA IS MISSING!"

He runs out my front door and I rush into the kitchen lifting the receiver and punching Sam's number into my phone. Groaning as his voicemail message plays, "_Hey, you've reached Sam Uley, Uley Construction. I can't take your call right now but please leave a message and I'll get back to you quick as I can."_

Fuck, God damn it Sam, you picked a hell of a time to turn your damn phone off! The voicemail beep sounds, "SAM! It's Charlie, Son. Bella is missing! You need to come home right NOW!"

****Meanwhile…Embry POV****

Shit, shit, shit! Not good, NOT GOOD! I run back into Sam and Bella's and shout, "TURN THAT GOD DAMN TV DOWN!"

Everyone freezes and Paul turns the TV off as Quil shouts back, "WHAT THE HELL MAN?"

I get up in his face, "BELLA IS FUCKING _**MISSING**_! SHE'S NOT AT CHARLIE'S, HASN'T FUCKING BEEN THERE! **THAT'S** WHAT THE HELL _MAN!_"

Everyone gasps and Paul takes over, "_Christ! _Angela, call Kim! Tell Jared to bring her and Rach here and meet us in the woods goin up to Forks! You girls **stay** here! Doors LOCKED! Lets go! "

We follow him through the door and everyone takes a big inhale, I follow Bella's scent to the edge of the woods, and exclaim, "What the fuck would she have gone into the woods for? Is she _**fucking insane**_?"

That's when we hear it; a baby's cry breaks the silence. Paul and I look round at each other, listening to the crying, and he exclaims, "Shit, it's a fucking recording! She must have heard that, and went in looking for the damn kid!"

The recording goes on and it's some poor kid calling for his mom, groaning as we run through the woods in human form I say, "Damn, whoever did this really knew what would pull at a pregnant woman's heart strings, that poor kid sounds pathetic, I think even I would have gone in looking for it if I couldn't hear the static undertone of the fucking tape running!"

We follow the sound and Bella's scent until we get to a clearing about 10 minutes away for a normal human, and probably 15 or 20 for a pregnant Bella. Paul finds the player up in the trees and takes his shirt off and carefully takes it down to avoid tainting any fingerprints that may be on it.

We all scent around and Quil calls out, "I smell Leah!"

I scent around where he is and I realize that he's wrong, "No, you don't."

My back is rigid and it's taking all my willpower not to phase, Paul asks, "What is it Em?"

Gritting my teeth I bark out, "EDWARD **FUCKING** _**CULLEN**_!"

There eyes go wide and they breathe in deeper, and Paul exclaims, "FUCK! HE MUST HAVE ROLLED AROUND IN LEAH'S CLOTHES OR BEEN WEARING LAYERS OF THEM FOR US NOT TO SMELL HIM EARLIER! SHIT!"

I look at him and he asks, "What do we do? Who's going to tell Sam?"

Taking in a ragged breath I answer, "Let's go back to Charlie's first, we have to get that tape player to him so he can print it. He was supposed to call Sam, if he did, Sam should be back there by now."

He nods and we all run back to Charlie's as fast as we can in human form. 5 minutes later we go through his door to find him a wreck, I ask, "Charlie, did you call Sam?"

He nods and barks out, "His damn cell phone is off! You didn't find her?"

We shake our heads and Paul puts the tape player on the table, "We found this, and we smelled Cullen out in the clearing where we found it. She's gone Charlie, _he_ has her."

Charlie's eyes go hard and he says, "Well, you boys **go get** my son in law, and get my **DAUGHTER** _**BACK**_! I swear if that motherfucker has hurt my little girl, or my grandson, I'm going to get a flamethrower and torch his ass _**MYSELF**_! I'll get going on getting this printed, try to find out who else is involved."

Paul volunteers, "I know where Sam is, lets go guys."

Jake pauses before saying, "You guys go, I'm going to call Rose and Emmett, they can help us track his ass down! They'll know how he works."

We nod at him and I say, "Ok, good call, the rest of us are gunna go get Sam."

We're leaving Charlie's house, when Claire comes running out the front door of Sam's yelling, "Wait!"

Quil stops and snaps, "Not a good time, Claire!"

She says, "I don't care, I'm going with you! Something funny is going on at my house, my parent's keep calling someone up in Fork's. I think I may know something about who's behind this; if I don't know the woman then I'll call my dad for a ride. _Please_, I just want to help find Bella."

Quil relents, "Fine, hop on."

She hops on his back and he stays human while the rest of us phase and we all take off running through the woods with Paul in the lead.

****Meanwhile Bella POV****

I walk through the woods following the sound of the baby crying, it's been about 15 minutes and I'm getting closer. I get into a clearing and I'm looking around when I feel a sharp electric jolt and everything goes black.

.

.

.

.

.

I'm coming through that last hazy layer of unconsciousness and I feel cold hands on mine. There's only one word in my mind, only one thing that could be so bone numbingly cold; VAMPIRE!

Opening my eyes I look up into the familiar butterscotch eyes of Edward Cullen. Recoiling in disgust, I exclaim, "What the **fuck** are you _**DOING**_!"

I try to move but my hands are cuffed to a piece of steel rebar welded to the inside of this van that I'm being transported in. Edward kneels down and whispers, "Shh, please don't curse like that, Love."

Taking a deep breath I say, "Please. Don't hurt my baby."

Edward's eyes lower to my abdomen and he sneers a little as he answers, "I'm not a monster, Bella. You can have the little beast, and I'll make sure it gets back to it's father, certainly I won't be the one to raise the bastard."

I inhale sharply, and spit in his face, "Don't you DARE call my **SON** a bastard! For your information, Sam and I are _**MARRIED**_! We made it official over a month ago, and we've had a marriage certificate from the tribe since December, and when my _**HUSBAND**_ finds me, you had better **pray** to whatever God that listens to demented, dead, douchebags like you that I'm 100% fine! Because if I'm not he will makeyour_**death**_so** painful **thatyour_change_will seem like a day trip to Disney World**!**"

He laughs long, and loud, and I honestly have never been more scared of him. Finally he leans back and says, "I won't hit you now, because you're pregnant, but don't think that I'll forget about that little outburst my _Love_. In fact, I have a running catalog of **ALL** your indiscretions. You are **MINE** Bella, and if your _husband_ comes to find you, all he will find is his own miserable death. I'm sure that he will choose the life of his PUP over yours, after all, carnal pleasure can be paid for."

I sneer back at him, "Yeah, I'm sure **you'd** know _all about that_, still a virgin Eddie? You know, I'm starting to think that that's _NOT_ by choice. You know, _you_ could always pay for it, or do even _WHORES_ turn you down?"

He laughs, "Please, you stupid woman, you wanted me so bad when we were together it was pathetic. I'm surprised you never got down and whined like a _bitch_ in heat! All that aside, when I'm able to control you the way you apparently NEED to be controlled, well then you'll be back to the Bella I love."

Laughing derisively, I snap at him, "Love? You think you _love_ me? You'd have to have a _HEART_ first! You're **inhuman**! A _**MONSTER**__!_"

It occurs to me that we're not alone, snapping my head to the front of the van I can't see who's in the driver's seat and I ask, "Who the fuck is driving this thing? Whoever you are, you need to stop and let me go!"

I feel my mouth drop open in shock as Alice turns back and says, "Oh, Bella! You just don't _understand_! You and Edward are _MEANT_ to be! I've _SEEN _it!"

Swallowing thickly I ask, "When? Back at the beginning of JUNIOR YEAR? Christ, Alice, that was a fucking LIFETIME ago! You already fucked up! I KNOW you can't see ME, or Sam, or ANY of the pack! My guess is that you can't even see yourself or Edward anymore, because guess what Alice, you sorry **fucks** are _ALREADY DEAD! _Oh, and _THIS TIME, _you **MOTHERFUCKERS ARE GUNNA** _**STAY DEAD**_!"

Edward goes back to the passenger seat, and sits down as he sighs, and says, "Thank God there's only about 3 months left of _this _Bella."

I sigh, as I shake my head, and say with false pity, "_Oh Edward_, you'll both be dead loooong before my son is born. In fact, my guess is that within 24 hours you, and your _dear_ _sister_, will both be nothing more than ashes on a pyre."

****Sam POV****

Arriving at Ms. Collins house I get out and she greets me at the door. She looks way too calm for a woman who supposedly has water flowing out all over her house, but her hair is wet and her makeup is kind of smeared so I take it in stride.

I jog up the walk and she steps aside so I can come in. Of course she only leaves a sliver of space so that I have to brush her body with mine as I enter the house, and that's when I realize I don't hear water gushing all over the place.

Looking back at her I ask, "So where's the flood?"

She shuts the door behind me, and comes up and puts her hand on my arm as she says, "Oh Sam, I know you know that I didn't call you over here for a busted pipe."

I've finally had enough, "What the hell Ms. Collins? I ask for a lousy 3 days off so that my wife and I can get some things done, and you pull this on the first day! So really, tell me WHY you lied to me to get me over here if there's nothing wrong with your pipes?"

She arches an eyebrow at me, and says in her annoying breathy little girl voice, "Oh but I think there is something wrong with my pipes! I _really want _**you**to check my plumbing baby."

Rolling my eyes in disgust I lift my left hand up, and try to be diplomatic as I say, "Look. I'm flattered, really I am, but I'm a married man Ms. Collins, and I love my wife."

She runs her hand up my arm and I realize that she's wearing a very thin short satin robe. Taking a deep breath I also realize that I'm in big trouble. I pull my arm away and tell her, "Look, if there's nothing in here that you actually need worked on, I'm going back home to my **wife**!"

She steps in front of me, and says, "You're making a really bad mistake here Sammy. Your wife is pregnant, this job is going to go on for a long time, how pregnant is she?"

Setting my jaw, I answer, "She's just over 6 months, what does that have to do with anything?"

She smiles, and continues, "Well trust me, in another month or so when she's too fat to move, and you're horny you'll be begging me to give you some."

Snorting derisively I reply, "Yeah, somehow I doubt that. Look I really have to…"

She cuts me off effectively by opening her robe, she's naked and I have to admit she's not ugly, but she's definitely no Bella. Rolling my eyes at her I ask, "Are you finished?"

She starts to talk but is cut off by the door busting open, Paul, Embry, Quil, and shockingly Claire, tumble through the front door and all hell breaks loose. Paul's eyes go wide, and then narrow in anger, as he snaps at me, "WHAT THE _**FUCK**_ IS GOING ON HERE?"

Any reply I may have given is cut off as Claire screams out, "EMILY _**YOUNG**_! WHAT THE _**FUCK**_ ARE YOU _**DOING**_?"

All eyes snap to Claire, and I choke out, "What did you just say her name is?"

Claire hops off Quil's back and replies, "Her **NAME** is Emily YOUNG! THIS is the Ms. Collins you guys have been talking about?"

I nod, "Wait, she's related to you?"

Claire nods, "She's also related to the Clearwater's, but on the other side of her family. What the fuck Emily? Sam is **MARRIED**! His wife is _**PREGNANT**_! Do you honestly have NO _**SHAME**_!"

Paul shouts, "ENOUGH! THIS ISN'T WHY WE'RE HERE!"

Realizing that it is indeed weird, I ask, "Why are you guys here?"

Embry comes up to me and puts his hands on my shoulders as he looks me in the eyes and tells me, "Sam, Bella's been taken. She went into the woods because there was a tape recording of a baby crying and calling out for it's mother, and I guess she was worried that coming in to get us would take too long. We followed her scent in when we realized she was missing, but it was too late. We smelled _Cullen_ in the clearing we found the tape at, he must have been wearing clothes that belonged to Leah, because _she's_ who we smelled initially. I'm sorry Sam, he, he took her."

I feel myself shaking, and I try to get myself under control, as I explode with rage, "What do you mean he **TOOK** _**HER**_**! WHERE THE FUCK WERE YOU GUYS**? _**WHY THE FUCK DIDN'T ANY OF YOU HEAR THIS CRYING KID?**_"

Em squeezes tighter and there are tears in his eyes as he says, "I'm so sorry Sam! You know how loud we had the TV. This is all our fault!"

He looks like he's about to cry, and now I feel like shit, I try to comfort him, "It's not your fault Em, I should have gone looking for her before I left! This is my fault! Shit! I don't know where to even start looking for her!"

That's when I hear it, Emily is on the phone and talking in what she thinks is a hushed voice, "Uncle Harry, all these guys and my cousin Claire just busted in here as I was trying to seduce him like you told me. I was getting nowhere by the way, but they're all freaking out that his wife was _kidnapped_! You told me that you just wanted to get something incriminating on him to break them up! You need to get here NOW!"

Walking over to her I rip the phone out of her hand and bark into it, "WHERE THE FUCK IS SHE HARRY? HOW THE FUCK COULD YOU GIVE HER TO _**CULLEN**_ YOU SICK FUCK!"

I'm cut off by the door opening again, and Harry walking in with his cell phone in one hand and a camera around his neck. I feel my rage multiply and I stalk over to him, grabbing him by his collar I get up in his face shouting, "YOU TELL ME WHERE HE'S TAKING HER AND _MAYBE_ I **WON'T** FUCKING SNAP YOUR NECK LIKE A DRY TWIG!"

Ms Collins or Young or whatever the fuck her name is runs over and tries to pull me off of him. Harry slips from my grip and Paul grabs him securing his arms behind him as he holds him. Emily starts rambling, "I'm sure she's fine wherever she is Sam, how do you know she didn't **want** to go with Edward? He is very handsome, and _very_ rich!"

My shaking is out of control, and as she reaches out and tries to touch my face that's just the last straw, the wolf has had **enough**. Our **mate** is in_ danger_, our _**child**_ is in_ danger_, the animal claws its way to the surface and all I see is red as I explode.

I feel my claws digging into soft flesh and tissue as they come down, and I hear an anguished scream, the smell of blood is all around me as it courses over my fur in freshets. It's pandemonium, Claire is screaming, and Harry Clearwater is gasping for breath, and holding his chest.

Growling I stalk towards him and I hear Paul speak, "You need to tell us where she is Harry, if you know you need to tell us or Sam _will_ kill you!"

Quil grabs a towel off the table and puts pressure on the wounds, as he attempts to stop the blood that is coursing out of the slashes down Emily's face, neck, and chest; I bare my teeth at Harry and growl menacingly as Paul says again, "**HARRY**! WHERE IS BELLA!"

He pants out, "I, I, I don't know! Cullen never comes down here! I had Claire's father set the tape recorder and start it after Claire went out with Quil. It's a loop. He, he had no idea what it was for. Emily called Cullen after you told her you were on the road. That's when he went to the woods to wait for her."

He's still holding his chest and I take a warning snap at him as Paul asks, "Why did you do it Harry? Why give her to Cullen? SHE'S _**PREGNANT**_ FOR CHRIST'S SAKE! What do you think he's going to do to her? To the baby?"

Harry chokes out, "He assured me the child will not be harmed in any way. He's been to medical school, he's more than capable of delivering the baby. "

He takes a gasping, wheezing breath before continuing, "he's going to keep her normal until after she has it, and then he'll make sure the child is returned to the Reservation."

Paul asks, "Oh, is that all? ARE YOU FUCKING _**INSANE**_! What about **after** she has the baby? What is he going to do to her then?"

He swallows thickly before answering, "He's going to change her to break the imprint! Then she will love him, and Sam can go back to loving Leah!"

Hearing this is about all the wolf can take; I give myself over to the animal as I rage, destroying everything I come into contact with. I turn my feral eyes to Harry and back him up against the fireplace, his eyes are rolling back in his head and he reeks of fear. Paul barks out, "Sam _**NO**_! I NEED TO ASK HIM ONE LAST QUESTION!"

I growl low and menacing in the back of my throat, and Paul turns back to Harry, "Harry if there's even one shred of decency left in you you'll answer me truthfully; Do you have ANY IDEA where he's taking her?"

Harry gulps again and answers, "Far away from La Push, he doesn't want more werewolves anymore than we do! He's taking her to the city I think, Seattle, not PA. I think he said something about keeping her there until she gives birth."

Paul narrows his eyes as he says, "You **BETTER NOT** be _**LYING**_ old man! If there is one bruise, or scratch on her when we find her, I swear to God we will kill your **entire** family. _Sue_, **Leah**, _**Seth**_, this bitch here, we will rip them to **shreds** if even one **hair** on Bella's head is harmed."

He turns around and says, "Whatever you need to do to him Sam, just let Claire go outside first."

Out of the corner of my eye I see Quil drag a hysterical Claire out the front door and I turn my attention back to the man I had once thought of as a father figure. Seeing only a pathetic, scared, piece of shit who dared to put my wife and child in harms way I advance on him. He knows there's nowhere to go and the man inside me smiles as his bladder lets go in a rush from the fear.

I raise my paw and in the end I don't even have to hit him. He utters a last shrill shout of fear, his eyes roll back into his head, he falls to the floor like a tree in the woods, and I no longer hear his heart beat. Heart attack, it's too good for the son of a bitch. I listen for a couple of minutes to make sure, I'm positive now, he's dead. I turn and run through the kitchen crashing through the flimsy back door and running into the woods.

I'm miles away, when Paul and J phase in. Paul thinks '_Sam man STOP! We have to go back to the Res, Jake was calling Blondie and the Hulk to see if they could help. We have to call them and see if they know where in Seattle he'd take her.'_

I don't bother replying as I change course to head towards Charlie's. We run at breakneck speed through the woods and I think '_Where's Em and Quil?'_

Paul answers, '_Quil had to stay with Claire and call an ambulance. He'll make sure they __**both**__ sell the animal attack story. A bear got into the house and Emily surprised it and got mauled, Harry interrupted, the bear menaced him, and he had a heart attack and the bear ran off. Em grabbed your keys and is going to bring your truck back to your place_

I nod and keep running. Finally we break through the trees into Charlie's yard and I howl. Jake comes running out into the yard and we all phase back. He comes over and puts his hand on my back as I collapse and he says, "It'll be okay Sam"

He thrusts a phone at me, and Rosalie is talking very fast, "Sam! Do you have any idea where he might be taking her? It'll make it easier for us to help find him! I can't believe that this is happening! Those fucking **BASTARDS**!"

I cut her off, doing my best to keep the emotion from breaking my voice as I exclaim, "**ROSE**! Ha, Harry said something about Seattle. D, do you know if he has any properties there? What do you mean **THOSE** bastards? Who else is working with him Rose?"

She chokes on a sob, "It, it's Alice! I don't know why, but she's become obsessed with Bella being **meant** to be one of **us**! Her gift has _never_ been so _**wrong**_ before!"

Wait, from what Bella told us Pixie's boyfriend is like a strategical God, I really hope he's not in on this, "What about the other guy? Jasper? Is he with them?"

She answers, "No, Jasper is most certainly NOT **with** _them_! He knows that what they're doing is **beyond** wrong. We all accept that this is the end for them Sam. You won't have any problems with us for doing what needs to be done. Emmett and Jasper are on the phone right now with our document guy, if Edward had any sort of papers done in Bella's name, or just any done for a young woman, we'll know in a minute. Carlisle is contacting our securities company to see if any of our Seattle properties have been accessed."

Breaking off I ask, "What about the future seeing cunt? Won't _she_ _**SEE**_this?"

Rose breathes a sigh as she answers, "No, she can't see you all, and I guess since she and Edward hatched this plan to go to war with you she can't see anything at all, which means she at least dies. I'm so, so sorry Sam! You know that if I had even had the slightest HINT that they were planning something like this I would have called Bella and warned you both!"

I hear talking in the background, and she comes back a couple minutes later, "Okay, Jasper says that he hasn't had any documents made for a young girl lately, and he hasn't picked up any of the documents he had made for her when they were dating. So we at least know he's not taking her anywhere that a passport or ID is required for."

I breathe a sigh of relief and hope that we'll get lucky on Carlisle's end too. She tells me, "Carlisle just came in, hold on."

I hold for what seems like hours, but in reality it's only a couple of minutes before she comes back on the line, "Sam, Carlisle says that one of the homes he keeps in Seattle _was_ accessed. Carlisle says if you go in from the back there are woods that connect to the back of the property, he'll never see or hear you coming that way. He says the house has a panic room, and that that is probably where they'll keep her. Emmett and Jasper want to help Sam, and I think you'll need them, Edward isn't much of a fighter but he's scary fast. Plus, you'll need them to find the house."

All of a sudden, I have a plan, "Rose, put Jasper or Emmett on the phone."

A minute later a smooth southern drawl comes on the line, "Sam, it's Jasper, what's up?"

I think for a minute, "Okay, I need you to text me directions to the house. Then I need you, Emmett, and Rose to go there first. Tell them whatever you need to tell them to make them believe that you have changed your mind about Bella being one of you. You need them to believe it, I think maybe if you guys are working with us that he won't be able to read your minds, but you need to behave as if he can. What I need you to do is keep him and Alice away from Bella! He can't read our minds, so he can't cheat in battle against us. I would really prefer it if Rose could find a way to lock herself into the panic room with Bella, that way I know that she will be completely safe."

The line is silent for a few minutes, "Sam, I have no qualms with what you and yours have to do to Alice, and Edward. Alice is my wife though, I'm sorry, I can't be involved in her death."

I take a deep breath, "No, I'm not asking you to. All I'm asking is for you, Emmett, and Rose to keep Bella safe while we do what we have to do. In the state he's in right now I don't think he has a chance. Without his mind reading powers? He's got about a snowballs chance in hell of even getting a hit in."

Emmett takes the phone, "Sam, we're on our way, directions being sent as we speak. Even if Jasper doesn't come, Rose and I will be there in about an hour. We'll keep them safe for you."

****Meanwhile… BPOV****

The van pulls into a gated property and drives down a long winding driveway. It parks in front of a grand estate house and I feel my blood turn icy in my veins with fear. Edward looks at me with a maniacal grin as Alice parks in front of the grand front entrance.

The engine cuts off and Edward takes out another pair of handcuffs. He cuffs my wrists under the first pair before unlocking the pair that goes through the rebar. His eyes are cold and emotionless, as he threatens me in a soft undertone, "If you try to fight me, or try to run, I will hit you in the stomach as hard as I can, and end your child's life before it even starts. Do you understand me?"

I nod at him, too terrified to even speak as he pulls me along behind him. Alice opens the front door and Edward pulls me into the dark house. Neither of them bother to turn the lights on, they don't need them to see with their vampire senses.

Edward hisses at me, "We're coming to a staircase, I'd prefer not to deal with clumsy Bella today, so I'm going to carry you the rest of the way. Remember what I told you Bella, you fight me, and I _will_ kill the fetus."

He picks me up swiftly and I bite my lip to keep from screaming, his touch repulses me, the cold seeping through my clothes, and into my skin. My heart is racing as he carries me up a long staircase, and then down a long dark hallway.

Edward goes through a door and up another staircase that opens into a large room with windows along one side. He crosses the room, and sets me on my feet still hanging onto my arm with one cold marble corpse hand. Immediately my free arm covers my abdomen though I know it's fruitless to think my arm will protect my son in any way if the bloodsucker really aims to hurt him.

Edward pushes some buttons on a hidden wall panel and the wall swings heavily open. He drags me inside, and deposits me onto either a bed or a large couch and hits a button, turning on a lamp in the corner of the room, the light illuminates the bank vault style door to the room, built to withstand even the nastiest of confrontations.

He sees me looking, and smirks, "I know what you're thinking, Bella. That door is made of the strongest metals known to vampire kind. Carlisle spares no expense, and takes no chances when it comes to his family's safety, this room is impenetrable, even to our kind. Only members of the Cullen family are able to open it. One day, I will show you the secrets, when you have come to your senses about who it is you _truly_ belong with. Until then though, lets just say _**I'm**_ taking no chances when it comes to the safety of my family. You will sit still where I have left you until I shut the door. There is a bathroom through the narrow door to the rear, it is nothing fancy, but it will do. I only had it installed this week. If you move before I shut the door Bella, well, I think you know what the consequences will be. Get some rest. We'll talk more in the morning."

I gape at him, but remain as still as humanly possible. Edward leaves, shutting the heavy door behind him, sealing me inside. The only thing keeping me sane right now is knowing that somewhere out in the night, Sam, and our friends are looking for me. I know that as surely as I know my own name, Sam's coming for me, coming for our son, and coming for Edwards life.

****Edited on 5/17: Bella is 28 and a half weeks pregnant, not 25. I accidentally put 25 because this chapter takes place on June 25th****


	44. Chapter 43: Death, and Life Moves On

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight, all recognizable characters and situations belong to Stephanie Meyer. All original content is property of the author unless otherwise noted. As always this story is rated M for graphic language, sexual content, mild drug use, and the possibility of violence, you HAVE been WARNED! **

**A/N: Thank you guys all so much for the reviews and the welcome backs! I really really appreciate all of you who read and take the time to review! Now…Lets get back to it! There are going to be a couple of new POV's this chapter only!**

****Rosalie POV about 11pm****

Emmett, Jasper, and I pull into the gated entrance of Carlisle's estate in Seattle, we had taken Emmett's old Hummer so that if Edward or Alice attacked the car on the way up to the house it at least would be a car that could sort of handle it.

As we round the winding driveway and the front of the house comes into view I see Edward and Alice standing on the steps and if I had a beating heart it would be racing! As it is my vampire responses are in high gear, my venom is pooling in my mouth, my hands clench in anger.

Jasper puts a hand on my shoulder, and starts the act, "Now Darlin, you know we talked about this, Edward and Alice's gifts have **never** been wrong before, we need to trust them about this, and Bella is going to need your help to understand, Rose."

While he's saying this he's pushing calm into my body to a point where I almost feel like I could pass out. Finally he removes his hand and the hazy blanket feeling starts to recede. Giving him a nod, and a grateful smile I reply, "You're right Jas, we just have to trust them. Alice saw Bella as a vampire, that _has_ to mean something."

Keeping my mind carefully blank I step out of the car and give Alice a friendly wave, I know both she and Edward heard what we were saying in the car so I don't really worry that either of them will attack.

She looks at me skeptically, before addressing us all, "Rose, Jas, Emmett, what are the three of you doing here? I thought you all told us you would have no part in this!"

I smile at her, and hope that it looks sincere, "Well, we were talking about it and we realized, you and Edward are right! You guys are the most gifted of us, and we should have listened to you. We also realized that without the three of us here, the two of you will die. You have to know that the wolves are out searching for her, you have to know that they WILL find her. Sam may be mistaken, she may NOT be his true Imprint, but neither of them will EVER understand that. You need me to help bring Bella around to the truth, you know that she trusts me. I'm the only one she'll believe it from."

Alice's face breaks into a crazy grin and I fight the urge to recoil from her. She starts to rub her temples as if having a vision, she's being too dramatic though, it's obvious that she's faking, but I act as if I'm hanging on and waiting for her to reveal her wisdom.

She rambles, "Yes…you're right Rose. We will need you. The wolves will find us, but they are the one's who will ultimately meet their ends."

She turns to Edward who is still looking at me with distrust, "She's right Edward. Bella will never accept her true fate without Rose's help and guidance. She will fight tooth and nail to stay human and be with her son, and in the end without Rose she will do her best to kill herself before we can change her. The child and the wolves have poisoned her to the point that she would rather die than live forever without them."

Edward's resolve seems to weaken, "Fine. Come Rose, I will take you to Bella, and I will stay with you while you tell her that you have decided that we are right. I warn you Rose, if this is a trick, if you are here to interfere, if I even _suspect_ that you are trying to play us the consequences will be dire indeed. For you as well, but mostly for her and the bastard inside of her."

Keeping my face carefully set, I reply, "Can't you read my mind, Edward? Would you not know my deception already if it was there for you to see?"

He sneers a bit, "Of course I can read your mind!", he's lying, "However I also know that women are particularly adept at letting men see what they want. Look how snowed Bella had me! I never even realized that Charlie, and that awful Black boy had been poisoning her against me!"

He grabs my arm roughly, "Come. If you wish to see Bella you will do it in my presence until such time when I have decided that you are sincere."

Jasper has gone over, and he and Alice are having a reunion, she hangs on him, welcoming him back to the 'right side', his face is happy, but inside I know that what my brother is really doing, is saying goodbye.

Emmett catches my eye, I nod to him to show that I'm fine, and follow Edward into the dark house. I go to turn the light on, but he smacks my hand away, "Are you insane? Do you WANT those dogs to be able to find us easier? No lights!"

In the darkness I can see him perfectly, and I nod, "You're absolutely right, I'm sorry! I can't believe I could be so stupid!"

He leads me up the stairs, and I realize where we're heading the minute we pass the door. The panic room, I had almost forgotten that this house was Carlisle's Doomsday prep house. The panic room that even Vampires couldn't breach, the arsenal in the basement. Thank God it seems that in his insanity Edward has forgotten about that, though no doubt Jasper has NOT.

Edward opens the panic room door and Bella comes into view, she's sitting on the couch, her arms desperately trying to cover her swollen stomach as Edward enters the room. She sees me and her eyes widen as she pulls herself up off the couch, exclaiming, "Rose! Oh Thank God! Please! You have to take me home! Sam is going to be worried sick about me!"

Edward looks at me expectantly, I put on my best comforting face, and just hope that she will understand that this is an act, "shhh Bella it's okay."

Edward interrupts, a sick grin on his face, "I doubt he's even realized you're missing Bella. That Miss Collins can be quite _distracting_. She's very beautiful, for a human, and physically at least, she's just his age. I'm sure that he's having a fine time in her bed."

Bella scowls at him, "Sam loves me, he loves our child, he would never do anything to jeopardize our relationship. Besides, we're Imprinted, he physically can't."

Edward just keeps smiling his sick smile, he pulls his phone out and opens up a picture. It was definitely taken with a telephoto lens, and it shows Sam entering a woman's house, the woman in question is indeed beautiful, and it doesn't look so good that she's only wearing a very short silk robe, and he is pressed against her as he enters the doorway.

With my vampire eyes I can see the look on Sam's face is bored, utterly disinterested, and a bit disgusted. Unfortunately though, Bella doesn't have vampire eyes, and all she sees is Sam pressed up against a scantily clad beautiful woman and going into her house.

She gasps, but holds onto her hope, "He wouldn't. You don't understand what Imprinting means. He is the other half of my soul, and I would **know** if something was going on."

Edward sneers again, "really? Like he would know if you were in pain? In danger? Funny, you were in pain when I put you out with the stun gun, so where is he? You've been in danger since the moment you walked into the woods, so tell me Isabella, just _where_ is your knight in shining fur armor? Where is his band of mangy mutts?"

Bella looks at me piteously, whimpering as she pleads, "Rose please! Please take me home!"

Going over to her I sit down on the couch and gently pull her down next to me, before commencing to act my ass off, "Bella please, you have to realize that I wouldn't be here if I hadn't come to some conclusions. Alice has never been wrong before, her visions, they're infallible. Edward says you are his singer, in which case, you ARE his mate. You need to understand this honey. You need to accept it. I'm sorry darling, but I can't take you home, because that's where you already are."

Bella looks at me, with pain and betrayal in her eyes. Immediately she starts to cry, great sobbing gasps, as she pleads with me, "Rose please! You can't mean this! Please I just want to go home! I need Sam, please! Please take me home! You can't believe what Edward and Alice have been saying! She had that vision back in junior year! Please! I just want to go home! I just need Sam!"

I sit there, internally cringing as I tut tut her, "Bella, please! You're being so dramatic. You just need a little time to get used to the idea, just sleep on it for tonight, and I promise you that in the morning things will look much better."

I turn to Edward, "Why don't you get Jasper for her? He'll help her relax, help her sleep."

Truthfully I don't know if Jasper's gift will affect her, it always did, but seeing as how Alice's visions had stopped holding her when she and Sam imprinted, maybe Jasper's wouldn't work either.

Edward nods at me, though still looking at me skeptically, he leaves the door open behind him, I guess so that he can hear anything I might say to Bella that may indicate that I'm not on his side, and after giving Bella one last warning look he leaves the room.

Trying to comfort her, I put my hand on her shoulder, but she pulls away, sobbing out, "Don't touch me! If you're on their side then just stay the fuck away from me!"

Putting on my best reasonable voice, I soothe her, "Bella, please. You have to understand that this hasn't been easy for me either. You have everything that I have ever wanted, and I so wish that you could enjoy it, but this is the way that things are. You are meant to be with Edward, neither of us can change that. You need to stop fighting your destiny."

She looks at me with so much rage and hate that I almost can't stand it as she starts to rant, "My destiny…What would you all know about destiny? It was Edward's destiny to die of Spanish Influenza! It was Emmett's _destiny_ to die from a bear attack! It was Jaspers **destiny** probably to die in the Civil War! And it was Esme's destiny to kill herself after losing her baby. That's what destiny is? Dying? Well I want to live for at least another 65 years or so. I want to LIVE with my husband, and my son, and all the other children that we'll have together! I want to be with my friends, I want to be with my _family_!"

Jasper and Edward come back into the panic room. Jasper looks stricken as he crosses to her. I can tell that he's having a very hard time keeping it together, so I guess he can at least still feel her emotions.

He puts a hand on her shoulder even as she pulls away from him but I guess his powers still work on her as her eyelids start to droop and close, and she leans back into the couch muttering softly to herself, "I just want to go home…"

****Paul POV****

The whole Pack is crammed into 2 cars, Sam's work truck holding me, Embry, Sam, and Jared, with Jake and Quil following in his rabbit. We had learned our lesson about running to meet with the Cullen's during the whiteout. Jake came back ranting and raving, 'Yeah Jake, just go on and run up to the Canadian border. Sam, have you EVER looked at a damn map? I ended up having to keep the blood sample tubes in my mouth and SWIMMING in damn near freezing waters, and then being in Canada for half the time and swimming back over to the side to go meet them where you wanted me to. You're an ASS!'

So we had gotten the directions from Rose and Emmett and we pulled the cars onto the road at the edge of a forest. Getting out of the cars we check the time, 12:30am, the plan was to wait until 1, and then go slowly through the forest, keeping our wits about us and making sure that there were no other vamp scents besides Cullen's in the area.

Sam was out of his mind, not that I blamed him, his pregnant wife was with two _very unstable_ bloodsuckers, not a one of us would be in anything resembling good shape in that situation. He lets out another shuddering breath and my anger rises another notch, my desire to tear those fuckers limb from limb grows. This is going to be slow, torturous, beyond anything they have ever felt. The Wolf is pissed, and he is not going to be merciful in his anger.

Embry had kept a tight hold on Sam during the ride down, saying the same words over and over again, "We need you human right now, Big Brother. Bella needs you, be strong for her, be strong for your son."

It had been the only way to keep him in human form. Now though, there is no keeping him. Alpha Dad is on the hunt, so I guess we're going in early. Cullen's had agreed, no cells, nothing to possibly give us away. Sam is shuddering in his human form, quickly he sheds his clothes, and I catch his eye, and bark out a warning, "NO HOWLING! NO SOUNDS!"

He gives me a curt nod, just before his bones crunch, and he phases into his wolf.

****Rosalie POV****

12:45am, the pack should be on the outskirts of the forest by now, probably closer knowing that Sam is most likely out of his mind with worry and anger. Edward has been pacing back and forth, waiting for things to start. We all know that it's just a matter of time.

Something shifts in his eyes, and he looks at Alice, "Alice, I want you to shut yourself into the panic room with Bella, I know that I can trust you to do the right thing if and when those mutts show up."

I stand up, "No, Edward let me. Please brother, I want to prove to you that I am on the right side. Please let me be responsible for Bella's safety in the panic room. You know that she and Alice have not been close since we left. They don't even talk anymore, the only thing Alice will do is scare her into trying something desperate."

Alice shockingly enough, takes my side of it, "She's right Edward. Bella is in a very fragile state right now. If I force my company upon her she will try to hurt herself, or me."

He looks at her with something like tenderness which leads me to wonder, just how close have the two of them gotten lately?

Thankfully though he reluctantly acquiesces, "Very well. Go."

Pausing to give Emmett a heartfelt kiss, I hurry up the steps and back into the panic room. I close the door, to the room making sure to rub my hand over the wood for a moment leaving my scent on it so that Sam and the rest will know that it's the right one.

Crossing the room I enter the panic room, Bella is still passed out on the couch, and I close the door behind myself hitting the locking mechanism and sealing us inside. The gears in the door turn loudly, and Bella sits up with a small shriek.

She backs away from me, and I frown sadly, "Bella please. You have to know, everything I said before, it was all an act. Edward was listening, I had to tell you what I did. I'm on your side honey. Emmett, Jasper, and I, we're working with Sam. He's coming for you Bella. I promise, this is all going to be over soon."

She gapes at me for a minute, before taking a few deep breaths, and then launching herself at me and wrapping her arms around me, "Oh thank God! Thank God! I thought I was in a nightmare, you fucking bitch, thank you so much!"

I chuckle a little at her language as she backs off and sits back down to wait it out. My eyes fall to her stomach, "How far?"

She smiles at me, "just about 29 weeks."

I cant help the look of longing and envy that I know must be across my face. Sitting next to her I just stare for a long moment. Bella reaches out and takes my hand, and I'm shocked when she puts it on her swollen belly. Her skin is hot to my touch, and I know that mine must be icy cold to hers, I gently caress the bump, and am rewarded when a strong kick greets me, "Oh god! He moved!"

She smiles, "Yeah, he has a good strong kick, Sam's convinced he's gunna be a star athlete at whatever sport he picks."

Venom stings my eyes as the emotion overcomes me. Bella gives me a sad smile, "I'm sorry Rose, for what I said to you before. I was scared and angry but I know it must have hurt you, and I'm sorry."

I'm about to reply when a crash resounds through the house, Bella screams, and all I can think is, here we go…

****Sam POV****

Coming out of the woods on the Cullen property I think at my brothers, '_Jared, you Embry, and Quil take the back! Paul, you and Jake with me. Remember, do NOT hurt Emmett or Jasper. The fortune teller's death will be quick, I want her out of the way so that we have plenty of time to dole out Cullen's fate. Wait for the signal before you guys come in the back.'_

They all think back in the affirmative, and we separate. Paul and I run at break neck speed, and we hit the door with all the force that we can muster. It splinters and practically explodes off the hinges as we barrel through it.

Cullen stands there, his eyes blazing with anger but his face betraying all of his smug superiority. He thinks this will be over quick. That it will be easy. He thinks he has the advantage.

I phase back, demanding angrily, "Where is my wife!"

He sneers, "even if you find her, you will never be able to get to her. Go home Sam, take your mutts, and go. If you leave now I will not hurt your child, as soon as he is born I will have someone deliver him back to you. If you stay you will die and so will he."

Rage doesn't even come close to what I'm feeling, phasing back into the wolf I go for him and the pussy streaks away, he is scary fast, but in my insanity I'm faster and my jaws close on the hunk of stone that is his hand. I bite down hard and his hand is no longer attached to his arm, I spit it to the side, as I listen to him scream for his brothers to help him.

Emmett smirks at him, and his voice is loud and booming as he yells, "Help you? FUCK YOU EDWARD!"

In a flash Jasper is on him, he dives grabbing a hold of Edwards left leg and pulling it off in the blink of an eye. The pixie screams as the others grab a hold of her, "Jasper help me!"

Edward is on the floor writhing in pain, but this isn't even close to being over for him. Jasper turns to Alice, "I'm sorry Alice, but you chose this path. Goodbye."

As soon as the word leaves his mouth, he streaks outside and is gone. He had done his part, and I felt bad for the pain he would feel at her loss, but he was right, she had chosen. Jared and Quil each have one of her arms in their mouths, but it's Embry who takes the kill shot, leaping at her face, grabbing hold of her head in his massive jaws, and rending it from her body.

Jared runs outside and I can smell the fire that he starts. Quil and Embry drag the remains of the Pixie outside and toss her into the fire which flares high and starts to give off horrible acrid purple smoke.

Edward snarls, "Well? What are you waiting for! Finish it!"

Again phasing back to human form I address him, "Finish it? Oh no, this is far from over Edward. You come to my land, you take my wife, you threaten my child, and you think I'm going to make it as quick for you as I did your lackey? Sorry to disappoint you but no. This is going to last quite some time."

Emmett grabs him, tearing off his other leg with ease and tossing it to the side where Jake catches it like a dog with a stick. I turn to Emmett, "Where's my wife? She should be given the opportunity to light this fucker up."

He smirks, "she's upstairs in the panic room. Rose is with her."

Sprinting up the stairs I follow Rose's scent, I can barely smell Bella with the smell of the Cullen's all over the house. I find a door with Rose's scent strongly upon it and I push it open, calling out, "Bella! Rose!"

I hear gears turning and turn towards the sound as the whole wall on the side of the room swings open revealing Rosalie. I look past her and see my whole world sitting on the couch, she grins at me, letting out a small laugh, "SAM!"

She runs at me, and I meet her in the middle, suddenly aware of my nakedness as her scent surrounds and arouses me. Shit. I grab her to me and fuse my mouth to hers. Her mouth parts and our tongues meet as I stroke her face and her hands move over my chest.

Rose gives a small cough after giving us a couple of minutes and Bella turns in place, using her body to shield my nakedness, "Sorry Rose."

Rose laughs, and I interrupt, "The fortune teller is dead. Embry dealt the blow, and they burned her."

I lean down to say in Bella's ear, "We wanted to give you a chance if you wanted to be involved or watch when we do Edward…"

Bella blanches slightly, "No. It's enough for me to know that he's dead Sam. To know that he will never again be a shadow on our lives. Give him a kick for me, straight in his unused sack please."

I hug her tightly, "anything for you, baby girl."

Rose however has no such qualms, "Wait here Bella, we'll come back for you when it's finished."

I exit the panic room after giving Bella another kiss. Heading to the yard I find the guys have already disconnected the rest of his arms and legs. Jared tosses me a limb, "watch the fingers Sam, apparently he can still move them, Quil got scratched pretty bad."

I can see the flap of skin that Edward had separated from Quil's cheek and I hold the arm well away from me as I tell Quil, "Hold that in place and it'll heal in a couple of minutes Quil. The longer you let it hang the worse the scar will be."

He quickly pushes it back into place and holds it while I grab a hold of the thumb on the hand and snap it off. Edward screams, and I laugh, "So you can still feel this, huh?"

The finger twitches and now I'm just a little freaked, I mean this is some Nightmare on Elm Street shit right here. I toss his finger into the fire, the fortune teller has gone to ash and I don't feel at all bad for him as he screams in pain.

Tired now though, I snap his arm at the elbow and throw the whole forearm in. The screaming is getting on my nerves, and I can tell it's under the other guys' skin too. Emmett looks almost frightened and I decide that we've had enough fun for one night.

Rose goes up to him, and takes a running start as she kicks him in the groin full strength. She shrugs at me as we all wince, "What? Bella wanted it."

Jake puts a hand on my shoulder, "Finish it Sam."

I grab his torso off the ground, and I hold his bottom half in the fire, listening to his screams of pain. Finally, I snap his head off of his shoulders with my bare hands, and the screaming finally stops as I drop the pieces into the fire.

The other guys bring the remnants of his legs and arms and we wait, watching, until he has turned to nothing but ash.

When it has burned down a bit, I see that Jasper has returned, and he has a bucket of water. He pours the water over the fire, and gently stirs the ashes. Making sure that nothing has been left behind.

He sighs, and I see that he has also brought a shovel. I approach him, "Jasper, I'm sorry for your loss."

He gives me a sad look of acceptance, "Thank you, but Alice and I have been on the verge of over for a long time. I loved her, but she wasn't the woman she used to be. All this with Bella and her visions, it was bound to happen sooner or later. At least it happened in a place where there were people capable of stopping her from going completely out of control. A lot of lives could have been lost if she had gone off the reservation anywhere else…"

Emmett puts an arm around him, "I'll help you dig the graves."

Jasper sighs, "No, thank you, I'm only digging the one though. They deserve to rest together, they were Mates… They thought I didn't know, she didn't cheat on me with him or anything, but their happiness and their sanity was tied to one another. Edward came to this world a virgin, vampires are _forever_ what they were when they changed, he was practically a Eunuch. It's actually a surprise he didn't go insane sooner."

I nod, only sort of understanding what he's saying. Honestly I just want to get Bella home, get the stench of leach out of my nose, and forget that this whole night ever happened.

Emmett claps me on the back, "Go get your girl man, get on out of here."

I shake his hand, and say, "Thank you for all your help, without the three of you, I don't even really want to think about just how bad this night could have gone. We owe you guys. If you ever need anything that we can do for you, just say the word."

Emmett nods, "No thanks necessary man, Bella is like a sister to me, and to Rose too. We may not ever get to see her in person again, but we'll always remember her. We're moving again, after this Carlisle will sell all of his properties, we'll fake our deaths and get all new identities. It's for the best."

Rose must have gone to get Bella, she comes up and wraps her arms around me, "Sam?"

I kiss the top of her forehead, "Yeah babe?"

She smiles up at me, "Let's go home."

Releasing me she gives Emmett and Rose both a hug and whispers, "Thanks you guys, tell Jasper thanks for me too okay? Goodbye."

Scooping her up in my arms, I give a whistle to the guys, "Lets go guys."

They phase and surround us as we go through the woods on the way back to the cars.

****Short time skip BPOV****

Waking up in my own bed, with Sam's arms around me, and the early morning summer light trickling through the windows, I can't help but think, did last night really happen?

I start to sit up, but Sam pulls me back, "Where do you think you're going?"

Laughing, I reply, "I have to go to the bathroom hon…"

He lets me up, and follows me into the bathroom, "Umm, Sam?"

He quirks an eyebrow at me, "Bella c'mon, after last night do you seriously expect me to leave you alone for a second?"

And there it is. It really had happened. A wave of nausea overcomes the need to pee and I cross hurriedly to the toilet and heave up the remnants of last nights dinner. Sam pulls my hair back, rubbing my shoulder and soothing me lightly.

I sit back against him, wiping my mouth with a bit of toilet paper as I take a ragged breath, "Jesus….fuck. Sam… The baby."

He rubs his hands over my stomach, "The baby is fine, I promise you honey, the baby is perfect. You passed out hard last night before we even got back to the cars. Christine came over last night with some equipment that J and Paul helped her move from the clinic and did almost a complete physical on you. She did a sonogram too, he's perfect Bella. I promise."

His eyes harden a little, and finally his fears, his frustration, and yes, his anger come out, "What the blue **fuck** were you **THINKING**! Going into the woods like that alone! You could have been _**killed**_, Bella! Even without the Cullen factor, you could have had any number of things happen to you! To the baby! Did you think, for even a second, about your safety? And the babies safety? Did you!"

Tears well up in my eyes, and I know he's right, "I'm sorry Sam! I'm so so sorry! I heard…"

He cuts me off, "I know what you heard baby girl, it was a recording. I know you couldn't have known that, but if you had taken just two minutes to come get someone we could have avoided this whole thing!"

Feeling my backbone again, I counter back, "For how long Sam? Another week? Another month? Another year? It's done. I'm sorry for the worry I caused you, I'm sorry that I was stupid, but it's over, and it's done, and in the end, it worked out for the best. Alice and Edward are dead, they will never come near our family ever again."

Sam lets out a sigh, and he pulls me to him, as he whispers, "I was so scared baby. So fucking out of my mind terrified that I would NEVER see you again. We got so lucky baby, there were a million smarter ways he could have gone about the whole thing and I would NEVER have been able to find you. He could have gotten you on a private plane, or a boat. He could have taken you someplace that WASN'T one of Carlisle's properties. Fuck, he could have changed your whole identity and taken you to a country where women are seen as property. Do you see? Do you understand how mother fucking _**LUCKY**_ we were?"

Wrapping my arms around his neck it really does sink in, to never see him again, never hold him again, what would I _do_ without Sam? Fuck. Gripping a handful of his hair I yank his face up, looking deep into his eyes I caress my hands over his face, reveling in the feel of him.

Sam pulls gently away, "Baby, not to kill the mood or anything, because trust me, I definitely _want _to get back to this, but would you mind brushing your teeth?"

I laugh because eww, I almost kissed him with puke breath, and now I remember that I still have to pee too, so I slowly get to my feet, "Yeah, no problem, plus I still have to pee…"

Sam laughs, "Well why don't I start the shower goin, and then you come join me?"

A slight moan escapes my lips, "Sounds good."

He turns the shower on and strips off his boxers leaving him in all his glory. I can't help but watch him, forgetting all about anything that isn't Sam. He steps into the shower, breaking the spell for the moment and I finish up what I have to do, flushing the toilet and picking up my toothbrush.

I brush my teeth quickly, rinsing my mouth with a handful of water from the sink before stepping over to the tub. I shed the clothes that Sam must have put me in when we got home and pull back the curtain. Sam turns, his eyes glaze over with love and lust when he takes me in.

He reaches out his hand and takes my arm so that I won't slip when I step into the tub with him. Stepping in carefully, I move under the water, letting it flow over me as I tug lightly on Sam's hand.

Sam comes forward letting me believe I'm pulling him to me. Moving my hands up along his arms his come to rest on my hips, pulling me against him and bringing his lips to mine. The kiss is tender, Sam's soft full lips mold to my own, parting them with ease as my tongue moves gently over his.

He pulls back, cupping my face in his hands as he whispers, "I love you so much. I don't know what I would possibly do without you in my life."

My hands cup his face the way his cup mine, and I whisper back, "I love you too, and I'm so so sorry that I put myself into a stupid position. I swear to you that I will never do anything so stupid again."

His lips crash against mine, frenzied and passionate now, as his hands roam over my body, gently fondling my breasts before moving down to stroke over my belly. I moan in response, and am confused when Sam groans in frustration.

I look up at him, "What?"

He gives me a small smile, "Your dad is here. He must be freaking out. I told him you were passed out cold last night, but that everything was fine when he came by last night. You know he won't accept it until he talks to you. I'll go talk to him, you finish up what you have to do in here. Graduation starts at 11:30, right?"

I nod, "Yeah, all the graduates need to be there by 11 though so we have to leave here by 10:30 the latest, because we have to go all the way up to Forks…"

Sam rolls his eyes a little, "Yeah, I know, I mean I know our school is small and everything but I don't see why everything has to be combined. Alright, I'll go find out what time it is, and make you something to eat. This is not finished though missy, so just remember that tonight."

****Short time skip still BPOV****

I finish drying my hair letting it hang in it's natural waves and pull on a green cotton maternity dress. It's similar to the dress I wore when Sam and I got married but a little plainer and obviously not white.

Slipping on the matching shoes I go to the kitchen where my father is sitting and looking anxious. He jumps up when I enter the room nearly knocking over his coffee as he exclaims, "BELLA!"

Rushing around the table he pulls me into a tight hug, "I was so worried about you! When I came last night Christine was here and Sam said you were passed out cold!"

Sam interjects, "I only meant she was sleeping, Da"

Hugging my dad back, I do my best to reassure him, "I'm fine Dad, honestly, I feel perfectly normal. I wasn't hurt, and the baby is fine. I just want to put last night in the past. It's my graduation day, and I want to celebrate it like a semi-normal graduate!"

Sam smirks, "well, minus the drinking I think we can accommodate you there."

We're interrupted by Paul and Rachel coming in the front door, followed by Kim and Jared. I look up, and greet them, "Hey guys!"

Kim is at 24 weeks pregnant and she looks exhausted, unfortunately her morning sickness had not abated when she moved out of the first trimester, Christine had told her though that her pregnancy was progressing normally and that there were no worries about her having a healthy baby boy.

That's right, the first two pack babies would be boys, and the guys were all around ecstatic. Taking in Paul's attire of black dress slacks, and a green and black pinstriped dress shirt, I can't help but laugh, "Damn, Paul! You actually clean up nice big guy!"

He nods in my direction, and tips an imaginary cap at me, "Well thank you, Mrs. Uley, right back at you!"

We all dissolve into laughter before Sam speaks up, "Hey, I spoke to Embry, he's going to round up the rest of the guys and Imprints and we're all gonna go meet at the Diner for breakfast."

****Time skip SPOV****

Pulling up to Forks High I look at my wife, "You ready for this?"

She sighs, "Ready as I'll ever be I guess."

Taking hold of her hand, I tell her, "Just remember to take your time walking up there, and to keep your head held high. You have absolutely nothing to be ashamed of."

She gives me a grin, "I know. I love you."

Charlie gets out of the back seat as I run around and open Bella's door for her, helping her out of the cab I grab her cap and gown, and hand them to her, "Go get em honey!"

Paul comes up, and takes her arm, "I'll take it from here Alpha Dad, don't worry, I'll keep her safe."

I give him a nod, "I know. Thank you brother. Just so you know Paul, I'm proud of you. You've really matured over the last year, and I'm really happy that you're graduating."

He grins, "Thanks man, I appreciate that. I'm happy too, and I'll be even happier tonight!"

His hand pats his pant pocket, and I know that he's making sure he has the ring that he's planning on proposing to Rachel with later tonight. We share a conspiratorial grin, and I watch as he guides Bella away.

Charlie calls out to me from where he stands with the rest of the guys and Billy Black, "Sam! Come on, we have to find seats for all of us!"

****Bella POV****

Paul leads me over to the sign in table, and I roll my eyes at the gasp that sounds as Mike Newton comes up next to me, "Holy shit, Bella! You're HUGE!"

Paul growls, but I squeeze his arm, and he contents himself with snapping, "She's pregnant you idiot! She's not huge, she's healthy, keep your yap shut once in a while why don't you!"

Mike holds his hands up, "alright, I'm sorry! Didn't mean anything by it, I'm just surprised... who knew that Lauren ever told the truth about anything."

Snorting I hold my hand up, "Did she tell you I'm married?"

His eyes go wide, "No, hadn't heard that. Uh, congrats I guess…"

He walks away and I shake my head, "Idiot."

I sign my name on the sign in sheet, and the teacher working the table says, "I'm sorry we don't have you on record."

Realizing why, I reply, "You have me under Bella Swan, it's supposed to be Bella Uley."

The teacher looks again, "Okay then Ms Swan."

I cut her off, "It's Mrs. Uley actually."

The woman makes a note and hands me my seat assignment. Sam had arranged for me to stay with Paul by making a very pointed suggestion to Dr. Cordero, so I followed Paul to our seats, unfortunately even with both schools combined the graduating class was only about 100 kids.

We sit down, and FHS's principal comes onto the makeshift stage with Dr. Cordero. They go through the standard commencement crap, and then we have to sit through 2 valedictorian speeches full of the same crappy clichés that are used year after year.

Finally after what feels like a week they start to hand out the diplomas. Name after faceless name gets called, the first name that I actually know is Tyler Crowley, he gets a big cheer, the Forks kids all cheering for him loudly.

A few names later and Paul gets called, "Mr. Paul Dixon, La Push High"

Paul gets up and I cheer and catcall along with the rest of the La Push kids and I can hear the Pack going nuts over everybody else. Oh god, they're going to do that to me….

The names go on, and I realize that I'm going to be one of the last to be called regardless of where I'm sitting. Shit…

Finally my name is called, "Mrs. Isabella Uley, La Push High."

It's like a bomb going off, and I know my face is bright red as I catch Sam's eye as I make my way to the stage, tripping here and there until I make it. I go up the steps slowly, and I walk across the stage with my head held high.

Some of the parents look upset, and a lot of the kids look shocked but that's just too damn bad. I had done the work, and I had made it through, and no one was going to ruin this for me.

I shake Dr. Cordero's hand and take my diploma. The pack is still going nuts as I walk to the far end of the stage and start down the steps.

Paul is standing nervously by the bottom steps, and as I get down, he laughs, "Sam made me promise to meet you here so if you fell I could catch you."

I laugh, "sounds like him."

We make our way back to our seats and the last few names go by quickly.

Finally the announcement we've all been waiting for, "Congratulations to the Graduating Class! You should all be very proud!"

I toss my hat in the air with everyone else and finally, it's over.

Paul guides me through the crowd, back to Sam, my Dad, and the Pack. Dad hugs me first, "I'm so proud of you baby girl, with everything that's happened this year, most people would have just let school fall to the wayside. I love you Bella, I'm proud that you're my daughter."

I hug him back, emotion overcoming me, "I love you too Daddy!"

Sam pulls me out of my dads arms, and into his, "So proud of you Baby! Congratulations!"

I give him a fierce kiss, before pulling back to reply, "Thank you. Honestly though Sam, this crowd is getting to me. Can we go home?"

Sam nods, "Alright, come on you guys, lets head out. Everyone go home and catch a nap or whatever, we'll see you for dinner later!"

We all separate and Sam, my Dad, and I get back into his truck. Sighing, I relax into the seat, "Let's go home."

**A/N: Okay so I know parts of this might seem a little rushed, I'm trying to get the chapters finished as quickly as I can with as much detail packed in as I can. We're in the home stretch and I'm trying my best not to rush anything but I'm estimating maybe 3 or 4 more chapters with an epilogue and a future take or two… It's been an amazing journey, and it's getting closer to it's end… Thank you all **


	45. Ch 44: When The Smoke Clears

**Disclaimer: Stephanie Meyer owns Twilight and all recognizable characters and situations contained therein. All original content contained herein are property of the author. Story is rated M, and may contain graphic language, sexual content, and mild drug use.**

****Time skip August 13th, a little over 7 weeks later SPOV****

In the time since we had killed Edward and Alice, things had calmed down considerably. I had spoken to Carlisle Cullen in person at the house that Emily Young had been living at. Apparently the house had been bought with Cullen money, which wasn't much of a surprise, seeing as it had become pretty clear that horrible night that she was on Edward's payroll.

Carlisle, while mourning Alice and Edwards deaths, knew that we had no other choice. He knew that Edward had crossed a line that could not be uncrossed. He had threatened an Imprint, kidnapped her, threatened to kill my unborn child, and ultimately had planned to forcibly change, not just a human, and not just **any **Imprint, but the Imprint of the Alpha of the Pack. Not to mention that the whole Cullen family, what was left of them anyway, did still care very much about Bella.

Quil had indeed made sure that Emily sold the bear attack story. Sue had brought Harry's body up to the Makah reservation for burial. Emily herself, was under Carlisle's care. He had done his best with her wounds, and though she would always have scars, they would be only thin lines, rather than the huge ragged ones that she would have ended up with under anyone else's hand. Personally, I felt she got off light.

Quil and Claire's relationship had been strained by the events, apparently Imprinting couldn't cure fear, though after a few weeks she started coming around again, I guess the pull had helped with that. Billy had finally taken my advice and talked to the parents of the Imprints. Charlie, and the parents of The Pack had helped with that.

The only ones who were totally against it were of course Claire's parents, though they were even starting to come around with the help of Jared's parents. Angela's mother and father had always liked Embry, and they had known there was something different about his and Angela's relationship. Kim's parent's loved Jared like a son, and they were fine with the fact that they would be together forever, I mean after all, they were already married, plus growing up with the legends had helped, not to mention Kim's pregnancy.

Shanna's parents liked Jake well enough, but they weren't totally thrilled to learn that their barely 17yr old daughter was basically betrothed to the future Chief of the Tribe, yet, they too had grown up with the legends, and they knew that it wasn't something they could change, so they were working on loving acceptance.

With the Cullen's gone, and putting out the word that our area was off limits to their kind, our boys weren't bound to the Res the way they had been, Billy handed down the decision that those who wanted to go away to college could go, if they chose to come back they, of course, would be welcomed back. If they chose not to though, that was okay too.

The general consensus was that Paul, Jake, Quil, and Embry would all go to college, but all 3 believed they would return home to the Res when they finished. Bella had asked me if I felt cheated. Looking at her, round and glowing in the late stages of her pregnancy, I had wrapped my arms around her, and replied, 'How can I feel cheated, when I get you, and our child, and all the ones that will come afterward? No, I don't feel cheated. I feel blessed. I have a business, a successful one at that, I have my beautiful wife who I love more than anything in the world, and I'll have my beautiful children. That's a pretty damn good life if you ask me.'

The hardest part was telling Bella that Carlisle had given the pack as a whole, as well as me specifically, a shit load of money, more money than even all of us put together could ever use. We had tried to refuse it, we didn't want it, but he insisted that it was reparations for all the hardship he and his kind had caused our tribe and Bella.

Once we had accepted it, Paul and Rachel had decided to go back to school with the money, Jared and Kim were going to buy a house for their expanding family, and the younger guys and their Imprints were going to use it for schooling and then they would see what else afterwards.

The money that Carlisle gave me he told me was partially payment to finish the house that Emily had been living in, in any way I wanted, and partially a gift for Bella and our child, and future children from Rosalie.

Personally, I didn't want his guilt money. I took it though, because I did want to finish the house in Forks, if only because it would be a huge draw for business, and I wanted my kids to be able to go to college, and have whatever they wanted within reason.

Bella stirs in her sleep, she's been increasingly uncomfortable in the last few weeks, which has led to some trouble sleeping, which, Christine had assured us, was perfectly normal at this late stage of her pregnancy.

She had also been constantly hot, and keeping the house at a crisp 60 degrees. Today Christine, and Jared's mom, along with help from all the girls had planned a surprise baby shower for Bella, and Kim.

The guys and I had all been busy the last 5 weeks carving nearly identical cribs and changing tables for the first Pack babies. Billy supervised, while Jake, and surprisingly Paul, had done all the intricate detail work. Jared and I had added our own finishing touches just last week, and everything had been smoothed out and stained and they were ready for presenting today at the party.

Glancing at the clock I see that it's about 8 am and it's time to get up and start the day. The guys and I were helping with the setup for the party. Charlie was going to be there, though I'm sure he felt rather uncomfortable about it, but since Bella's mother is a fucking bitch he felt it was important that she have one parent there. J and I had gotten roped into keeping him company, and the rest of the guys had begged off with work and other family excuses. They were going to help set up, and then go off and do their own thing.

Bella's breathing shifts, and I know she's awake, moving over to wrap my arms around her, I whisper, "Good morning."

She turns and kisses me on the cheek, "Morning."

Getting out of bed, I walk around to her side, and gently help her up. She smiles at me with a mix of embarrassment and amusement, "Thanks, Babe. I'm sorry."

I roll my eyes at her a little, "Don't be sorry, Bella! You're about to pop our baby out, it's supposed to be like this."

She laughs a little at my choice of words, and then turns serious, "What are your plans for today?"

Shrugging lightly, I reply, "Gunna spend some time with your dad. Maybe go fishing. I'd appreciate it if you went over to Kim's and then the two of you head over to Christine's so that if anything starts happening you won't be alone."

Bella nods, "That's probably a good idea. If I wasn't so huge I'd probably argue with you."

Stroking my hands over her large pregnant belly, covered only by a thin cotton t-shirt, I look deep into her eyes, "Bella, you're not huge. You're pregnant, almost full term, you're glowing, Baby. You're beautiful."

She smiles, "Honey, I'm **huge**! I waddle like a duck, I have to pee every 3 minutes, the upside is that I can breathe better because Jr. seems to have dropped into my pelvis a little, but the downside of that is I'm so uncomfortable! I'm glad you think I'm beautiful though, because you're still the most gorgeous man I've ever seen."

Leaning down I kiss her gently, feeling the low current of electricity flow between us. Bella pulls back, nipping my lip gently before turning, and heading for the bathroom. Following behind her I get the shower going, strip down, and step in. Bella finishes up, and joins me.

Standing back, I watch her, the water flowing through her hair, over her breasts, and her belly. Cursing the time, I content myself to just watch as she washes her hair, and soaps herself up. Telling myself that she can't be late to her own baby shower I exercise all my self control to just watch her shower.

She rinses off and we switch positions, regardless of Bella's self control though, I can smell her arousal as she watches me. The scent is near to driving me insane, closing my eyes I tilt my head back under the water, letting it flow over me, barely aware of the fact that her scent is visibly arousing me.

My eyes fly open with a low groan as I feel hot warmth envelop me, looking down I see her on her knees before me. Thanking all the spirit's that she somehow managed to kneel down without falling in the tub, I run my hands through her wet hair. She pulls back, only holding the head of my cock in her mouth, sucking it gently, causing me to involuntarily pump my hips slightly.

I can see the smile in her eyes as I twitch and groan under her ministrations. Bella's always been weirdly good at going down, I would never ask her how she got that good because frankly I don't want to know…

A full out moan escapes me as she moves suddenly forward, taking as much as she can into her mouth, her lips wrapped around me, clearing all rational thought from my head. I get lost in the sensation of warm, slick pleasure, my eyes closing again and my head tipping back as the water flows over me.

She continues like that for a while, but alas, wolf hearing rears it's head. I hear a key in the front door, Charlie or Embry is here. Placing my hand on her head, I pull back a little, "Babe, as much as I hate to stop you, Emb or your dad is here."

She pulls back, and glares at me, as she says, "I don't give a crap. They can wait a minute."

I give her a look to say, 'a minute? Yeah right.', and there's a glint of something like challenge in her eye. She wraps both her hands around my dick one on top of the other, double fisting it like a fucking sword hilt, and takes the head back in her mouth.

Her tongue flicks over the sensitive head of my dick, as her hands make a light twisting motion and a shudder rips through me as I fight to keep the groan of pleasure in my throat.

Repeating her actions, she speeds up both the flicking of her tongue, and the twisting motion of her hands and true to her word within a minute I'm moaning out loud, and she pulls her mouth off of me just in time as I cum. The first shot hits her face and I groan as she wipes it off and licks her finger lightly.

Helping her up, as I catch my breath, she grabs the bottle of face wash off the shelf. Bella washes her face quickly, as she giggles a little, "See, told you it would only take a minute."

I shake my head at her incredulously, she can still surprise me. Sometimes I forget that I haven't even known her for a year yet. It feels like so much longer than that, in a good way.

****Bella POV****

Stepping carefully out of the tub, I wrap one of Sam's oversized towels around me, and head out into the bedroom. Going over to the dresser, I pull out my clothes for the day, deciding on a halter style hot pink maxi dress with a pair of flip flops.

Dressing as quick as I can I wrap my hair in the towel and head out to the living room. I can hear the TV on ESPN and I'm not surprised to find my dad sitting in Sam's recliner.

He looks dressed for fishing, but he's not wearing his lucky hat, which is weird. I've never seen him fish without it. Looking at him, I say, "Hey Dad. Where's your lucky fishing hat?"

He shrugs, "I left it at my house, Sam and I will stop over and pick it up before we go out. You goin over to Kim's?"

I nod, "Yup."

He smiles at me, "Honey, I just want you to know you look beautiful. How's my grandson doin?"

Laughing, I reply, "Thanks, Daddy. He's good, squirming around in there. He must be getting pretty cramped though, he isn't kicking anymore, just squirming, and shifting around."

Dad smiles, "Yeah, you're just about ready to pop. 'Nother few weeks and our boy will be here. Did you guys decide on the name yet?"

Nodding, I reply, "He's gunna be a junior. I thought it would be important to Sam."

Dad nods, "It's a good choice, and it probably _is_ important to Sam. Besides, we all know this one's not gunna be your last baby."

Laughing, I reply, "almost certainly not."

Sam comes out of the bedroom, he looks dressed for work, not fishing. He greets Dad easily, "Hey Dad. You ready to fish?"

Dad nods, "Yeah, we'll just have to stop back at the house and pick up my lucky hat."

Sam nods back, "Alright. Baby Girl, you all set? I'll give you a ride over to Kim and J's."

Going into the kitchen, I grab a banana and a Pop-tart and go back into the living room, "Yeah Sam, I'm all set."

Dad gets in the front of the truck, as Sam helps me into the back. He climbs into the drivers seat, and we take the 3 minute drive over to J's parent's store. As soon as we get there he helps me out of the back, and we go around the side where J is waiting, "Hey Sam, Bells. Kim's upstairs."

Sam pulls me to him, and gives me a gentle, yet thorough kiss, "I love you. Have a good time with Kim. Josh will pick you guys up and bring you over to Christine's in an hour or so."

I make my way slowly, and carefully, up the steps, knocking lightly on the door. Kim opens it and steps aside to let me in, "Hey Bell! How ya feeling today?"

Laughing, I reply, "Oh about 15 lbs heavier than you!"

Even though we were only 5 weeks apart, Kim was carrying much higher than I was, and she hadn't really popped until a few weeks ago. Needless to say, I was a little jealous, especially since I've been waddling around for the last 2 months and she was only just starting to get that characteristic waddle.

We sit down on the couch, and relax, watching bad daytime TV until a knock sounds at the door. Kim gets up and opens it, letting in Josh, "Hey Josh, thanks for picking us up! The boys and their fishing."

He smiles, "No problem at all, Bella-Girl. How's my favorite Grandbaby doin?"

I answer him with a smile, "He's doin just fine, getting a little cramped in there, but hopefully that means he's almost ready to come out. I would NOT say no to having him a week or so early."

He laughs, "No, I wouldn't think you would. Especially not with how hot it's been lately."

Making our way downstairs we get into the back of Josh's car, and head over to Christine's.

****Sam POV****

Christine's house was covered in blue and white streamers, and balloons. Nothing outside, but the entire inside was done up nice. The girls had really gone all out.

We had hit a little snag with the furniture, there was only room for one set inside Chris's living room. We decided to use the crib from my set, and the changing table from J's. The guys had helped me move the changing table into the nursery at my house.

Bella and I had spent a few days a couple weeks ago getting things the way we wanted them, waiting on the finishing touches. It was painted a couple shades lighter than true forest green, Bella had thought that forest green would be too dark, I had put down light tan carpet, and moved in the small dresser that we had bought for the babies things, along with the rocking chair that Paul and Jake had helped me make.

Disappointed that there were no wallpaper borders with wolves on them I had enlisted Embry's help to paint a border of wolves and trees along the top of the walls. The kids artistic skill had really come in handy.

Hearing a car pull up outside, Christine checks out the window, and calls back, "They're here! Everyone get down"

I can hear the doors of the car open, and close. Bella and Kim are talking about their plans for the births as they come up the walk, and yeah, Bella still plans to have the baby natural.

The door opens, and just as they step through, we all jump up and yell, "SURPRISE!"

Both Bella, and Kim look stunned, and then they both smile, and burst into tears. Jared and I move like lightening to them, and comfort our mates, who look at us as if we've gone crazy. Bella laughs, "They're happy tears, Honey! I can't believe you all went to this much trouble!"

Shanna and Angela come over and hug her tight, before Chris pulls her away and hugs her, "It was no trouble at all! I can't wait for my nephew to get here!"

Bella notices the furniture in the middle of the room, and gasps, "Oh my God. You guys!"

Cutting her off, I tell her, "The changing table is for Kim, yours is at the house already. The crib is ours."

Jared cuts in, "Our crib should be getting moved in at our place now."

The girls tear up again, and everyone ooh's and ah's over the work that we did. Jared and I manage to get Bella and Kim to sit down, and I grab a plate of fruit and a cup of punch that Kim's mom made, and bring it over to Bell.

The girls settled, J, and I make our way over to Charlie who holds out a couple of beers to us, "Well boys, lets try to make ourselves scarce. These things get a little out of control with the estrogen."

****Bella POV****

J and Sam sneak over to Charlie and make their way back into Chris' kitchen. I don't really blame them, I know Dad's probably just here because Renee is a bitch, and Sam and J are probably only here to keep him company.

Picking at the food that Sam had brought me, I can't stop myself from staring at the beautiful crib. I can't believe that Sam and the guys had made all this furniture for Kim and I. It's so beautiful, stained a deep cherry with carvings of wolves along the outside, and on the inside I bet it was Sam who added footballs and baseballs along the sides, and men in boats with fishing rods on a little lake on the end. At the head there was also a carving of a wolf, I recognized it as Sam's, forever watching over our baby.

We play the usual games, everyone guesses when the babies will be born, what time, how much they'll weigh, etc etc. Then there's guess how many blue m & m's are in the jar, which Shanna wins.

Finally the guys come back over, and I guess its time for presents now. Charlie, and Kim's mom come into the room pushing a couple of really nice looking strollers. They stop in front of us, and Charlie says, "The carrier on these can be used just as a carrier, and also from stroller to car seat, the guys are gunna get the seat bases installed for you sometime this week. They're top safety rated, and once the kid outgrows it there's a separate piece that converts to a booster seat."

He hugs me, and I whisper, "Thank you, Daddy!"

The girls had all gotten us piles of clothes, little wash cloths, and toys for the babies, and Shanna gives us each a booklet with about 40 coupons each for free babysitting whenever we needed it. Sam smirks, and I can tell he's thinking, 'I wonder if Jake knows what he's in for.'.

Sam and Jared come back in, and start picking things up, I ask, "Where's your truck, Sam?"

He smiles, "It was around the block, I just moved it."

They take the small stuff first, and then cover the furniture with plastic wrap, and move that out too. Christine, and Kim's mom bring out cake, and coffee, and Sam comes back in with a couple of water bottles for Kim and I.

Kim looks at me, "So do you think you're ready?"

Shrugging, I reply, "I guess so. I mean, are you ever really ready? Our whole lives are going to change again, in a good way though. I can't wait to meet him. I can't wait to meet yours either! I just hope that the boys are ready for this."

Kim laughs, "I hear you on that one, but I know they're both going to be great dads."

Smiling at her, I look over to where Sam and Jared are talking with my Dad, and I reply, "Yeah, they will be."

**A/N: Cutting this chapter here. I have a feeling that next chapter we're going to be meeting someone very special… Also I'm sorry if this chapter felt a little rushed, I'm trying to pack as much in as I can. **


	46. Ch 45: The End

**Disclaimer: Stephanie Meyer owns Twilight and all recognizable characters and situations contained therein. All original content contained in this story is property of the author. Story is rated M for adult content and language.**

****September 13th, 8:30pm Sam POV****

Bella blows out the candles on her birthday cake, and everyone claps and cheers as Christine cuts the first slice and hands it to her, before proceeding to divvy out slice to the rest of us. Things were in a holding pattern as we waited for our son to be born. His room is ready, we're ready, the rest of the pack, and our families are ready, all that's missing now is him.

Bella picks at her cake, a strange look on her face, and Christine turns all her attention to her, "Bella? Are you okay?"

Bella puts her hand on her stomach, "Yeah, I'm okay. I just, I think I just had a contraction."

I move to her side in a flash, "What? Wait, I didn't feel anything!"

Billy speaks up, "Boy, you can't handle that kind of pain! The imprint connection will NOT let you feel it, because you have to be strong for her."

I know it's selfish, but relief courses through me, wisely though I keep it to myself, and ask my sister, "Okay, so what happens now?"

Christine smiles, "I'm going to take her into the bedroom and do a quick exam. I'll let you know after I know how advanced her labor is."

They go down the hall, and Paul lets his breath out in a whoosh, "Damn! You ready Sam?"

My head is spinning, and I run my hands through my hair, "God I hope so!"

Charlie and my dad are right there, Charlie says, "You're going to be a great dad Sam, trust me on this. This is what we've been waiting for."

My dad nods, "It's true, Son. You're going to be great, and that's because of you, and who you are as a person. You're going to be amazing, and Bella is going to be such a great mom."

A smile breaks across my face, "God, she's going to be so amazing as a mother. It's really happening."

Christine comes out of the room, "She's changing, and then she's going to rest for a little while. It's still early, she still hasn't had another contraction, she'll call out when she does, but unless things really start moving fast, I think she'll hit her estimated delivery date of September 14th spot on."

Angela and Shanna start taking plates into the kitchen, and Jared and Kim stand up, and J tells me, "We're gonna go", he addresses the rest of the room, "I think we should all go, give Sam and Bella their space. It's the last time they'll have to themselves for a very long time."

Christine nods, "That's a good idea. Sam, as soon as her contractions hit every 5 minutes I want you to call me, and I'll meet you at the clinic. Be strong little brother, you're in for a long night."

She heads out, my dad and Kay following shortly afterwards along with Billy, Rachel and Paul. The girls finish the dishes and Jake says, "Good luck Sam, let us know when things start really happening."

Embry claps his hand on my shoulder, "I'm gonna take Ang home and come back, I'll crash here if you don't mind. Promise I will stay in my room and not bother you or Bella, I just want to be here."

I nod, "Of course bro, you know you're always welcome."

The four of them head out, and now it's just me, and Charlie. Charlie stands up, "Son, you should go spend some time with Bella. Jared was right, but also wrong, it's not going to just be a long time before you have time to yourselves, you're going to be parents, it's never goin to be just the two of you ever again."

Standing with him, I nod, "I know. Is that why I feel kinda sad underneath the high and excitement of it all?"

He smiles, "Probably. A chapter of your lives is ending, but being a parent is worth everything you give up. I promise you that."

Charlie moves towards the door, "You call me when things start moving, I want to be there waiting when my grandson is born."

I nod, and give my father in law a very manly hug, "Of course. Thank you Charlie. For everything."

He nods and heads out the door, and down the street back to his house. Sighing in the silence I make my way back to the bedroom, opening the door to find Bella laying on her side facing away from the door.

I move into the room, and get on the bed, moving close behind her and wrapping my arms around her, placing my hands on her bump, "Are you ready for this?"

She chuckles, "Ready or not, here he comes."

Laughing lightly I kiss the back of her neck, "This is true. Are you scared?"

Bella snorts, "Shitless. You have to promise me two things Sam."

Stroking my hands over her belly, I reply, "Anything."

She rubs my arms, as her stomach clenches and hardens underneath my hands, she sucks short gasps of air and makes her way through it like a champ. Her belly unclenches, and she says, "First, if something goes wrong, if God forbid I don't make it, you have to promise me that you won't follow me. He has to have one of us."

I keep my motion going, rubbing her belly in comforting circles, as I reply, "I promise, but that's not going to happen Bella, you are strong, and you are healthy, and you are ready for this. Everything is going to be fine. And by this time tomorrow night, chances are, we're going to be parents."

She relaxes back into my arms, and I continue, "So what's the second thing?"

Bella laughs lightly, before responding, "You have to promise to stay by my face. Don't look down there, I don't want you to forever see my pussy like that. I've read that some guys after seeing that they never look at their wives the same way again, the romance, and the sex are never the same for them, and it eventually breaks the marriage apart. So promise me you won't look."

Laughing, I respond, "Okay. I promise. Anything you want."

****8 hours later still SPOV****

The stop watch says 5 minutes when the next contraction hits, and I'm up in a flash, "Okay, this is it Bella!"

She smiles, or more likely grits her teeth as she pants through the contraction. I grab her go bag, and call Christine, who picks up on the first ring, "Sam, is it time?"

I reply, "Yes, we're on our way to the clinic with Embry and Charlie. We'll meet you there."

Embry meets us in the hallway, and runs out ahead of me to go pound on Charlie's door, yelling that it's time.

Bella smiles at me as the contraction fades, "That was a hard one. I know it's gonna get worse, I hope I can stick it out naturally."

I help her into the back of the truck, climbing in behind her as I toss the keys to Charlie, "You're driving, Pop."

He nods, "Sure thing."

I don't know why I thought that was a good idea, because as soon as Embry's in the passenger seat Charlie floors it like he has a fucking siren on my truck, and heads for the clinic.

We make it 2 blocks before a cruiser with it's lights flashing pulls behind us, Charlie curses, "Fucking shit! Fucking White! I'm gonna tear him a new one!"

He pulls over and screams out the window as the officer approaches, "My daughter is in fucking labor here White! If you need to write me a ticket you follow me to the fucking clinic!"

As soon as he gets it out he floors the gas pedal and pulls back onto the road speeding the last 14 blocks to the clinic pulling into the lot with a screech of tires, and into a spot by the door, looking impressed with himself as he says, "That's a new record for sure."

I get out, helping Bella down and guiding her into the building where Christine is waiting for us. She brings us back into the delivery room and hands Bella a gown, and tells her to change before she goes into the hall.

Bella changes into the gown, and calls out, "Okay!"

Christine comes back in and gets her settled on the delivery chair. Bella reaches out and grabs my arm, pulling me up by her head, as Chris gets her legs in the stirrups and puts a sheet over top of her legs. She does a quick exam, before poking her head back up, "Okay, she's 6 centimeters dilated, now we just wait this stage through, once she gets to 10 centimeters it'll be time to push."

She focuses on Bella, "are you okay? Do you want any pain medication?"

Bella's eyes are clear, and fierce, as she replies, "I'm fine. It hurts, but I'm determined to do this naturally."

Christine nods, "Okay, but just know that once you're at the pushing stage you won't be able to change your mind."

Bella nods, "I won't change my mind Chris."

Another contraction hits and she squeezes my hand hard as she breathes through it, I coach her gently, "That's my girl, you've got this baby, that's right breathe baby."

She smiles at me fiercely, as she breathes through her teeth, and Christine moves around hooking her up to different equipment, putting a fetal monitoring belt on her stomach, "Okay, everything looks great. Baby's heartbeat is strong, Bella all your vitals are good. Like I said, all that's left to do now is wait for the next stage of labor."

****4 hours later SPOV****

Chris pokes her head back up, "Okay Bella, Sam, it's time. We're ready to push on the next contraction."

Bella moves forward, and I climb up behind her, holding her, and letting her lean back against me. She nods, and I rub her back gently, as the next contraction hits, and she bears down, screaming out as she pushes.

Christine yells, "I see his head, he's crowning, deep breath and a big push Bella!"

Bella sucks in a breath, she clutches my hands and I see stars as I feel bones snap as she screams out bearing down and pushing. Through the painful haze, I hear Christine yelling, "Here he comes, one more push!"

Bella gives one last scream as she pushes, and then I hear it, the most beautiful sound in the whole wide world, my son's first screams as he takes his first breath of oxygen in this world. Bella turns to me, tears and sweat streaming down her face, "I did it Sam. He's here!"

Her smile is radiant as I kiss her head, and she says to me, "Go, cut the cord daddy."

I climb off the chair, and get my first look at my son, God, he's perfect. I go over and Christine has him in bassinet, wiping off the birthing fluids and clamping his umbilical cord, she smiles at me, handing me a pair of surgical scissors, "Here you go Daddy, cut between the clamps."

I do as she says, and she ties off the cord and wraps him in a blue blanket, before handing him to me, "Support his head. Bring him to his momma."

My son, he's so beautiful, the perfect mix of Bella and myself, he has a shock of black hair, spiky black lashes, his skin is just a few shades darker than Bella's, just perfect. I bring him to Bella's side, while Christine goes back and tells her to just keep pushing, to get the afterbirth and the placenta out.

Bella looks at our son, she's so radiant in this moment, and I can't help but fall in love with her all over again as she falls in love with him. She gasps "Oh god Sam, he's so beautiful!"

I smile at her, "I know. Just like you."

I lay him in her arms, and she adjusts him like a pro. He nuzzles at her chest, and she laughs, "Just like his daddy."

She bares her breast, and he latches on, Christine nods at her, "It's gonna take a day or so for you to get real milk, right now what you have is colostrum, antibodies that will protect him until he gets his immunizations."

We watch him as Christine calls out, "Samuel David Uley Jr, born 9am on September Fourteenth."

She finishes what she's doing with Bella, takes away the pad, putting a fresh one under her, and comes over, "I'm sorry momma, I gotta take him to do his weight and length."

Bella reluctantly hands him over, Christine puts him on the baby scale, "7 lbs, 20 inches in length. He's gonna be a tall boy like his daddy, probably a couple inches shorter."

Bella nods, "Well he won't be a wolf so that's to be expected."

She wraps him back up in his blanket and brings him back over, Bella asks, "Will you get my Dad?"

Chris nods, "Of course."

She goes out of the room, and Charlie comes in a minute later, with a balloon, "There's my girl, and my new grandbaby."

He comes over with tears in his eyes, "You look so natural with him Baby Girl. I'm so proud of you."

He turns to me, and winks, "So I hear she made it through with no painkillers, how are you doing? How's your hands?"

Smiling, I reply, "They're fine, she broke a couple of bones but they're healed already."

He nods, "Lucky man. He's gonna be a heartbreaker, look at him. Just perfect."

Bella laughs, "Do you want to hold him?"

He sits down in the chair next to her, and she hands him to me to put in Charlie's arms. He rocks him gently, talking to him softly, "There's Grandpa's boy, you just wait, we're goin to have so much fun together you and me, I'll take you fishing, teach you how to skip rocks, we'll catch frogs and do so much together you wait and see."

Josh and Embry poke their heads in, "Hey can we see him?"

Bella nods, "Of course you can!"

They come in, and exclaim over him, "God he's perfect Sam. You and Bella make good lookin babies."

Christine comes back in and shoos everyone out, "I need some time with mom and dad alone you guys, time to get them ready to take the little man home!"

Dad, Embry and Charlie clear out, I take my son back, and Chris smiles, "Okay, Bella you're gonna be sore for a while. No sex for 6 weeks, I mean that, you don't want to chance complications or infections, so keep it in your pants big guy. If you have any questions or problems you know you can call me day or night. Any time at all. I'm here for you. You do have the option to stay here a night if you want to."

Bella shakes her head, "No, I want to bring him home."

Chris nods, "I figured that. I'll see you next week here for a checkup for both of you."

She hands Bella a box of pads, "You did really good, you had hardly any tearing down there but you're going to have a lot of discharge the next week or so, so you're gonna need these."

I hear a knock at the door, I can smell it's Embry so I say, "come on in bro."

He comes in with the baby seat, "You'll need this."

I hand our son back to Bella and go over and take the seat, placing it on the table, and hugging my brother, "I'm glad you were here. Thanks Bro. I love you."

He smiles, "Love you too bro. Go on and get my nephew home."

****About an hour later BPOV****

There's a knock on the door frame, and I look up to see Sam standing in the doorway of our son's room, our son. The discomfort is enough to tell me I'm not dreaming as I look down at him, his beautiful deep brown eyes are exactly like his fathers, he's mostly Sam, what he got from me coming in the lighter color of his satiny skin.

I rock him slowly, as Sam comes in with Jared and Kim, asking, "Hey baby, you up for a visit?"

Smiling at them, I reply, "Of course we are!"

Kim comes over to me, "God Bella, he's just beautiful! Ugh, 5 more weeks!"

Jared laughs, "It could be as soon as 3, remember Christine said she thought you'd go early."

Getting up I ask, "Do you want to hold him?"

She nods and sits down, and I place Baby Sam in her arms, "There you go baby boy, that's your Auntie Kim, she's gonna be the momma of your best friend. He's gonna be here before you know it!"

Kim rocks him gently, getting choked up, "He's just perfect you guys, I can't wait till ours is here!"

Jared hands me a bag, "Here, it's just a little something, we're so happy for you both, we're gonna head out, we don't want to intrude on your first night as a family."

Kim and I change places, and she places my son back in my arms, and Jared wraps an arm around her as they head out the door. Sam goes with them, once again leaving me alone with our son.

I can't believe that it's only been a year since my life completely changed course. It feels like I've been with Sam forever, but in reality it's been less than a year. One year ago yesterday I had finally gotten up the nerve to leave Edward Cullen. That had been the start of my new life.

I left Edward, and on a whim went to a bonfire and changed the entire course of my own destiny. What would have happened if I'd never met Sam? Would Jake have continued to be my friend once he went wolf? Would Embry have ever met Angela? Would Jake have been stuck with Janna as an imprint forever?

I guess none of it matters because I did meet Sam, I met him, and we fell in love, and now we have a baby, and one day we'll have more babies, and we'll raise those babies, and watch them find themselves, and hopefully meet their soul mates, and we'll grow old together, and live happily ever after. And all because I had finally worked up the courage to find myself, and be myself.

**Authors Note: This is it folks, this story is officially finished! I want to thank every one of my readers who has stuck with this story, I know that updates have been few and far between as the story has gone on. Thank you all, and I hope you have enjoyed reading it as much as I have enjoyed writing it. It feels really good to be able to put this one in the complete column. **


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